


a lullaby for a prince

by sweetsindle



Series: The Twin Sibling Stars Verse [1]
Category: Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler, Tangled (2010)
Genre: Based off of Tangled, Character Development, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Romance, Eventual cielinde, F/M, Hostage Situations, Kuroshitsuji II | Black Butler II, Mental Abuse, O!Ciel POV, OCiel is Rapunzel, OCiel is Tortured mentally by RCiel, Ociel controls the moon and night time, Prince Ciel Phantomhive, Princes & Princesses, RCiel controls the sun and day time, RCiel is the noncrusty ver of mother gothel, RMCT, Real Ciel Mastermind Theory, Sebastian is Max (the horse), Sieglinde Pov, Sieglinde is Fylnn, Soma is Pascal, The twins come from a poor family but because of their gifts their crowned royalty, Two brothers, inpired by Tangled, kuro au, prince AU, sun and moon au, tangled, two princes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-04
Updated: 2020-06-10
Packaged: 2020-07-30 17:01:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 13
Words: 23,323
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20100586
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sweetsindle/pseuds/sweetsindle
Summary: ᴀ ᴛʜᴏᴜsᴀɴᴅ ʏᴇᴀʀs ᴛʀᴀᴘᴘᴇᴅ ɪɴ ᴀ ᴍᴀɢɪᴄᴀʟʟʏ ᴄᴏʀʀᴜᴘᴛᴇᴅ ᴛᴏᴡᴇʀ ᴀᴘᴘᴇᴀʀᴇᴅ ᴜɴsᴜᴀʟʟʏ ʟᴏɴɢ ғᴏʀ ᴀ ᴄᴇʀᴛᴀɪɴ ᴍᴏᴏɴ ᴘʀɪɴᴄᴇ, sᴇᴇᴍɪɴɢʟʏ ɪᴍᴘʀɪsᴏɴᴇᴅ ғᴏʀ ᴀɴ ᴇᴛᴇʀɴɪᴛʏ ʙʏ ʜɪs ᴏʟᴅᴇʀ ʙʀᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ᴡʜᴏ ᴊᴜsᴛ ʜᴀᴘᴘᴇɴs ᴛᴏ ᴄᴏɴᴛʀᴏʟ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴀʏʟɪɢʜᴛ.All current (and future) art done by one of my best friends, lenee!Her Tumblr: https://lovecoreciel.tumblr.com/Her Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellierosesart/Kuro tumblr blog: https://sweetfacedspare.tumblr.com/





	1. the sibling twin stars (prologue)

**Author's Note:**

> ~  
Thank you to catdemontraphouse (https://catdemontraphouse.tumblr.com/), Shadow Queen (https://shad0w-queen.tumblr.com/), and webnkinz (https://lesbkinz.tumblr.com/)for helping me in terms of reading my small summary before release!
> 
> ~
> 
> This Kuroshitsuji (Black Butler) fic is based off the 2010 Disney film, Tangled!

_Three thousand years ago, the world was nothing but gray._

_Dark, and dreary gray._

_Color?_

_It didn't exist._

The Sun and the Moon, the two sibling Star planets, held all the color a being could ever dream of!

_Oh, what they'd do to finally, just finally, get a glimpse of a lovely burgundy red. Sunset orange. Aquatic blue. All of those colors, ever since 'it' happened, seemed so far away. An eternity, even. 'It' stole away all the color from the universe. Nothing, and I mean nothing was spared from this very, very cruel fate. When all the color went away, so did the Earth's (and subsequently the Universe) happiness._

Everyday continued, each completely indistinguishable from the next. The crops stopped growing, the waves were completely dead, anywhere and everywhere. 

The world was practically dead and almost unlivable.

.

.

.

Or...So everyone thought.

Everything changed when two very, very special children were brought into the world. 

A beautiful pair of twins.

.

.

.

Rachel was _sick. _

And violently, too. Every single doctor and nurse that had come in, to see the young woman and her husband, to check up on how she was doing with her pregnancy all said the same thing- that no matter what the young man, Vincent, tried, it would be completely and utterly useless. No matter what he tried, no matter what he brought her, all outcomes would end up the same- Rachel and their unborn child (children, if they /un/lucky enough to have them) would all die- and that was a fate that he wanted to avoid as much as he possibly could.

_"There's nothing you can do, I'm sorry, Vincent."_

_"Absolutely nothing! Unfortunately, Miss Rachel and the child will pass..."_

_"I'm sorry, but nothing can be done to stop the inevitable"_

Every answer he got was exactly like this - unhopeful, all the same- until he had, one day, after another heartbreakingly unsatisfying visit from yet another doctor that before he left had told him of the legend of two flowers, a parting gift of the Sun and Moon before their Departure.

Almost a millennia ago, a single drop of sun and moonlight had dropped from the heavens, into the Earth which grew a flower of healing and magical properties. It was said that any being that was to somehow consume it would get well from any seemingly incurable disease, fate- anything you could ever dream of! - and it could be **anywhere**.

Anywhere at all!

In fact, by now, someone could have easily taken it- 

Even though his chances were extremely slim, he didn't care, not at all! Even the least hopeful of chances was still a chance, godammit! - and Vincent was determined to find it, no matter the cost. There was no way in hell that he'd lose Rachel and their child like this, in one fell swoop!

.

.

.

_Vincent found it._

It was thought to be impossible by everyone (Vincent included among the masses) but he had been able to find it, despite how many people told him he was insane, or it was just simply a lost cause.

On a snowy, frigid December night, the woman that had previously been nearing death's door (her child/ren included) had given birth. Not just to one, beautiful baby boy, but two! - A pair of twins, just as a comet soared through the sky, celebrating the birth of such children. 

Greyish-blue hair adorned the newborn's heads along with gorgeous sapphire blue eyes, cherubic faces, porcelain pale skin, petal pink lips, and rosy cheeks!

There was something different about them, though - each twin had a symbol on one of their eyes.

_On the older, a symbol of Sun on his right eye with a golden iris, and the younger, a symbol of the Moon on his left with a navy iris._

_._

_._

_._

_A millennia after the Earth had thought they lost their sibling Stars, they had come back._

** _"All hail Ciel, Prince of the Sun, and Aster, Prince of the Moon! To a new era of life and color!"_ **


	2. ciel would never lie to me,, right?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time skip to the current day after our "favorite" little sun prince had successfully captured and brainwashed his younger brother, locking him away in a magically corrupted tower that's close to impossible to get out of.
> 
> Aster is sick and tired of being there, but his brother tells him that it's best to stay there, for his safety.
> 
> Ciel is would never lie, would he?
> 
> Ciel is always right.
> 
> Why would anyone ever doubt the favorited sun prince's.....questionable.. decisions...?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Portrait of the twins done by one of my best friends, lenee! 
> 
> Tumblr /lovecoreciel/: (https://lovecoreciel.tumblr.com/)  
Instagram /ellieroseart/: (https://www.instagram.com/ellierosesart/)! 
> 
> She's opening commissions soon, so stay tuned if you want some work done by her - she's AMAZING!!
> 
> EDITED: 4/12/20

"How many years has it been...?"

The youngest of the twin stars would mumble softly one dreary, bleak morning. The child would sigh, gently resting his pale elbows on the ledge of one of the only windows that even opened in the old, enchanted tower.

It had become his usual spot, after all those long years. 

He had no company, no friends.

He barely remembered his own Mama and Papa, now that he thought about it.

He barely even...I remembered anyone...

_Why was this?_

He'd sit there for a while, pondering his situation for a long while, staring out the window, to flora and fauna below, surrounding the tower. In all honesty, he felt like if he were to ever be allowed outside (not that it would ever happen- when his big brother promised something, _meant_ it, and there was _absolutely_ no going back, no matter hated it)

He would have been able to tell every inch of this place with a blindfold! After all, it was all he ever had to look at. Yes, he had other things he could do to busy his time, but his activities were......Extremely limited, to say the least. 

He painted, sewed, - the works - he even baked!

His favorite was when his big brother came over, and he had baked for him! Ciel always loved his cooking, and it still just warmed his heart when his big brother complimented him! 

But...Even with his big bother's visits, living in the tower was practically unbearable. 

He knew that he shouldn't be selfish- I mean, _AT LEAST_ Ciel came to visit! His older brother could of just as quickly simply dumped him here, send people to occasionally send food for him, and other supplies.

Instead, he always came, several times a month, to talk and play with him - oh, how lucky he was to have such a great friend like his wonderful, amazing, big brother!

He knew that, without Ciel, there's no way he could ever survive on his own...Ciel provided everything the younger he could ever need or want- food, clothes, paint......Everything.

After a while, the younger brother would finally snap out of his daze.

He got up, rubbing his beautiful sapphire and navy eyes before making his way to the kitchen.

Currently, he was heading to the kitchen to finish up his work on the cookies he had been making since that morning - his brother's favorite - sugar cookies.

Ciel, his brother, was coming tomorrow, and he had to get ready - after all, what kind of little brother would he be, without snacks for Ciel, after his long journey, over here?

As he pulled the fresh, delicious-smelling cookies out of the oven, the question of why he was here lingered in his mind once more, as he gently set the tray down on a nearby counter.

_Yes, why was that....?_

Well, he knew the reason if he was honest. His older brother had told him a plethora of times before, after all...

The first time, however, was the most......Heartbreaking.

He always hated thinking about it, but he knew he should remember it.

For him, for Ciel.

To remember their struggle and what Ciel had done to protect and save him from all the wrong people...

But that didn't still change the fact that he always regretted ever asking Ciel why.

_ **It had been the first time he had ever seen Ciel cry.** _

* * *

_"Ciel, why must you always hide me away....? Why did you put me in this tower...? I'm so confused...You never told me why..."_

_The younger brother would say with a gentle sigh._

_He had just finished up sketching very intricately-beautiful, full moon next to his brother's scrawled, childish drawing of a sun. _

_For the past few hours, the two twin brothers had both settled in the tower's 'living room,' drawing a picture together._

_ After they had finished snacking on some desert bread, his big brother had brought over from...Wherever he lived (Aster had no idea where, and wasn't planning to ask any time soon-whenever he wondered about the outside world, about anything at all, Ciel would flip). _

_The older would sigh deeply, before looking to his brother, narrowing his sapphire and golden eyes, clearly annoyed by the question._

_ Though by his expression, thankfully, Aster knew he'd answer it._

_"Must you ask so many questions, brother....? Especially ones so tedious, and unnecessary...?"_

_"I...Apologize, Ciel...I...I'm just...SO curious- you've never really told me, other than Mama and Papa died, and he got badly hurt.....And you wanted to protect me...What happened...? Who killed Mama and Papa? Why would anyone ever want to hurt us...? We've never hurt anyone before....No one should hate us, right...?"_

_The older brother was silent for a while, tears welling up in his usually sharp eyes before taking a shaky, deep breath. _

_"I'm sorry as well...For not telling sooner...Its...Just that it's so, so bloody painful, what happened to us...It's why you can't remember much...I took your memories away for your safety...When I found you, you were practically gone from the trama...Oh Aster, you were so, so bloody broken...They hurt you so badly- it was the worst experience I ever, ever had in my life...Almost losing you."_

_Aster would gently wipe Ciel's tears away, his heart pounding as he did so. _

_"Oh, Ciel....."_

_"B-But...I suppose you waited long enough to hear it. It was on our birthday, all those years ago. It was a wonderful time...Well, at first. Everyone had been getting a party-ready for us, and we were allowed to skip studies, and play with each other all day! - But...They were late to take us down, to it...Some bad people tried to take you away, and they set our home ablaze...You almost died, and everyone else didn't make it. I found you and took you here, after erasing your memory...I didn't want you to suffer anymore, Aster, I'm so sorry....."_

* * *

He felt horrible for asking Ciel why, but at least he knew now.

Aster would gently pick the cookies up from the tray after the cooled and placed them individually into a bowl that he always set aside for treats like this].

He put the finished cookies into the icebox and headed up to his bedroom.

Collapsing into bed, letting out a tired, yet heavy-filled sigh as he stared at the mural he had painted with his older brother, on the ceiling. 

Ciel loved and wanted nothing more than to protect him...

There were no other reasons.

Just his unselfish, undying love for him.....

_.........Right?_

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited the errors on 9/2/19.


	3. sweet sugar cookies are out of the oven, the double chocolate are, too. what a party!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aster's trying to fill his seemingly endless amount of time up while he waits for his older brother's return, who promised to come the next day. As the clock slowly ticks by, we get a glimpse into what life was like for a certain Moon prince, all the way back when Ciel had brought him here as Aster sorts through the drawings they had made together, dating back thousands of years.
> 
> Meanwhile, Ciel is getting ready to return to Aster, for his double-monthly visit. His brother's favorite double-chocolate cookies have just gotten out of the oven, and there are whispers of a new thief running amock the Sibling Stars Kingdom - life has certainly gotten more interesting.

** _Tick-tock......_**

** _Tick..._ **

** _Tock..._ **

** _Tick.............._ **

** _Tock......_ **

** **

_Ciel was late._

For the first time in what felt like forever, Aster's older brother, Ciel, late. It was a new feeling, honestly. A feeling that Aster, now that he knew it, hated it with all his being. Was he mad at his big brother for being late, exactly? Well...No, just that he had made a promise, and he had always vowed not to break him.

It was so, so unlike him. It was so confusing. 

Baffling, even. 

_Was Ciel okay?_

_Was he hurting?_

_Was he sick? _

Oh, how the younger brother wished, with all his heart that he could go to his brother and see if he was well!

Peering out the window for what seemed like another millennium (even though it had only been two days of staring, staring, STARING), he got up.

Deciding that he had finally had enough of waiting for his big brother at his usual spot- his favorite window - he got up, off the ledge, and idly make way to a nearby cabinet that held a plethora of memories.

Some that either he'd like to forget, or he adored looking back at, or anywhere in between. 

He'd open it, gently sorting through papers, treasures, and such like.

Finding a messy stack of a familiar array of papers- drawings, that he (and sometimes even his brother) drew. Aster, with a tired smile, would gently scoop up the stack, thumbing through it, deciding that he was going to look through these.

After all, it had been a while that, and he had time if he took too long, and Ciel came bye.

Well, he was sure Ciel could somehow let himself in... He always seemed to, anyhow.

As Aster started to stack them back up neatly, he felt a familiar tap- he'd look down, and smile softly, upon noticing who it was. 

It was Soma, a friendly, and instead...A curious lizard that he was friends with. In fact, besides his elder brother, Soma was the only other friend he even had...Though he had to admit Ciel had no idea about the tiny thing- if he did, then his brother would surely take away and throw him out...And there was no way, at all, that Aster would ever let that happen!

Besides Ciel, he quite literally had no other company...To Aster, Soma, his instead...Animated (and talking) lizard friend was nothing short of a godsend.

Now that he truly, honestly thought about it...

Geez, where would he be without him?

He didn't know, but what he did is that...Well, according to Soma wasn't precisely the ordinary lizard, per se. Most normal lizards couldn't talk, which much confused the child...Why couldn't they..? (he didn't know that. Usually, lizards don't speak because well...Ciel never schooled him.

Everything Aster knew was because he taught himself- the only knowledge /quote on quote/ is Ciel's propaganda) If Soma could.....What did that mean? It sounded lonely, being the sole of your kind being able to speak, and no one else to hear you...Which is why Aster suppose they met.

Maybe it was fate...?

The younger boy would think with a sigh, smiling softly at the beige lizard before scooping him up and setting him on his shoulder, finally making his way to his room. He'd set the pile of drawings down on his bed, before offering Soma two fingers for a lift down. After the lizard accepted them, he'd carefully set him down before taking a seat beside him.

He'd look through a few, chuckling as he looked at a drawing that he and his big brother drew together- 

It showed a clash of beautifully intricate and careful sketches, mixed with rushed and crudely drawn ones.

\- A scene of Aster and his brother, icing a cake together.

'What a good memory, that is...It'd be a shame to lose it...'

The boy thought, just as Soma would gently (as well as awkwardly) push a drawing near the Moon's pale fingers. Aster, confused, would look down and give the lizard a soft smile before scooping it up and asking him if he had wanted to hear about it, to which the lizard nodded...Looking at it...Worried?

Confused, the child would gently cock his head to the side before finally taking a look...And freezing up.

Looking at the drawing the lizard had tapped on, Aster would pick it up to examine it better, with a soft, shuddering sigh.

_ "T-hat o-one...?" _

The younger managed to get out, tears welling up in his beautifully-blue eyes, shaking his head as he'd curl up with the drawing, near the lizard.

The boy would look to it with a broken stare, trying to find the words as Soma curled up, near the child, awaiting whatever story the Moon had to tell him.

Getting ready to comfort the (seemingly) younger, as best as he possibly could...For being a talking lizard, he gently patted the boy's arm, awaiting the boy to start.

"It...All happened several, several years back...I don't quite remember what happened in great detail, but that's because Ciel took most of those memories away...He told me that it was horrible, you see...What happened...I did something that scared him terribly, and even though I don't remember what it was, I know it...hurt...So b-badly...It ached..."

He'd explain, tears falling freely from the boy's chuberic cheeks as Soma would take a look at the drawing - obviously, it was Aster who had drawn it.

After all, he knew for a fact that Prince Ciel, the younger's older brother, was completely horrible at any kind of art, drawing especially...That and Aster's drawings had always been beautiful. Intricate, delicate...Full of love and patience. It showed he genuinely cared about the art he was making...

Unlike Ciel.

In the scene Aster had drawn, it displayed a broken, teary-eyed, blue-haired boy, leaning against a locked door, an array of colored pencils in hand, drawings strewn about on the floor. Though everything surrounding the sad child was grey. Absoueltly colorless...Devoid of love, life, and personality. Everything seemed to just...Fade into each other... The other side of the door, however, was full of color and experience -

Another blue-haired boy, sitting on his knees, carefully watching the locked door with a somber, yet caring expression...

With a jewel-encrusted key in hand.

"Did...Ciel locks you away, Aster...?"

The question would ring in the younger's brother's head, heavy as thick fog on a stormy morning, as he sat there, completely...Out of it. Tears would stream down Aster's face, seemingly neverending as he stared at the picture, before harshly biting the inside of his cheek in frustration, shaking his head.

He'd angrily grip the drawing's frayed edges, shaking.

How dare...Soma accuses his big brother...? OF ANYTHING?

Aster crumbled it up within a flash, resentfully tossing it at a nearby wall before glaring at the lizard.

"I did something horrible, and you know it, Soma...I-I broke Ciel's heart, and that's unforgivable...I don't deserve his love, or grace, that he's been so generous to even let me have...I deserve absolutely nothing that he's ever done for me, not even in the slightest...If Ciel does something, it's always for a reason...And he's never wrong...never lie to me, or punish me for some stupid, elementary reason...Everything he does is right, alright....?

_Just.....Stop blaming him...It's all you ever do...And I can't stand it anymore......Just...Please..._

_It hurts."_

* * *

"Damn it, Undertaker! Where the bloody hell is the thief? How damning incompetent is my kingdom's army, that they can't even catch some stupid thief... A THIEF THAT STOLE ASTER'S CROWN, NO LESS? You know I have bloody important business attend to, and you know how they feel about me being late- this is an embarrassment!"  
  
Cried a certain furious sun prince, his sapphire and golden blues burning with pure rage as he'd quit his pacing, setting a pair of impatient hands on his waist. He was two days late- TWO ENTIRE DAYS late to see his little brother! Aster, his younger brother, knew EXACTLY when he was supposed to come, and two days LATE was not WHEN. What damning nerve his stupid officers had, promising to get his /supposedly/ lost baby brother's crown back...

Especially after it was disgustingly stolen by the grimy hands of some blundering, pathetic, no-name robber, and NOT GETTING IT BACK IN THE DAY, THEY PROMISED IT WOULD.

If Prince Ciel was anything, patient wasn't one of them.

Anymore waiting time, and he'd have all their heads for their stupid incompetence and wasting his time with this idiocy!

_'Don't worry, Prince Ciel! You have my word...My men and I SHALL get Prince Aster's crown back, within a day- no later!'_

Haha. 

Yeah, sure he did.

_What a fucking pathetic waste of space._

Once he had his hands on them, he'd be sure that they'd NEVER get to see his damning sun, ever again for what they did- taking away one of the only /close/ reminders of his brother's existence...from the whole kingdom (and Ciel). It was unforgivable, and outwardly punishable by death.

Whoever stole it had a death wish, that was for sure.

"I do apologize, your Majesty- they're trying their hardest, but apparently, she's quite the runner...Never seen someone get away from a crime scene, in the castle no less, so quickly before!"

  
".......' She's'......?"

Ciel would repeat, stopping suddenly in his tracks, his eyes widening in dumbfounded shock and fury, before whipping around, clearly angry. 

"So...You're telling me that...These bloody, idiot _FOOLS_ can't catch a _GIRL?_ How _pathetic_ and _useless_ could this police of mine possibly be?!"

The Undertaker, the older prince's right-hand-man, would give the child a knowing, smirking smile before shrugging softly, reaching into his back pocket of his flowing robes, pulling out a scroll, and getting down on a knee, presenting it to the Sun Prince. Ciel, with an annoyed sigh, would make his way down the steps and carefully grab the scroll before opening it and freezing in both annoying shock and amusement.

"You're telling me that not only is she a girl, but a child, no less?"

"Like you and Prince Aster, your Majesty!"

The boy would smirk softly, gently rolling up the scroll before carelessly tossing it to the Undertaker, crossing his hands as he'd peer over to a nearby family painting of him, his parents, as well as his dear, younger brother. 

"How interesting this is turning out to be....I'll give them seven days, time, to retrieve my brother's crown.....I'm sure it's generous, as well as enough of time, isn't it?"

"Even more time, my Prince? I thought you wanted to get it back as soon as possible...After all, it is _very_ close to your heart."

Ciel would give the older man a soft chuckle before shrugging playfully. 

"It's simple...We've never had a thief like this, a little girl, running amock the palace and taking something as important and as special as Aster's crown...I want to _enjoy_ the thrill of the chance, honestly...After all, there isn't any interesting, as of late, and I think that this silly little game shall fill my fancy for a bit of amusement, for the time being...After all, I expect it not to take much longer than a few days more, or less..."

The boy would turn a heal and give UIndertaker another condescending smirk.

"Now, on to more pressing matters...

_Are my little brother's cookies out of the oven?"_


	4. little thief, little thief, down the lane, skipping stones and dodging planes, is sneaking honey sticks for the sweet little prince that sings about his beautiful night and (unknowing) eventual reign.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Sibling Star's first thief successful in stealing the 'missing' Prince Aster's crown, Sieglinde, is on the run from palace guards, and Prince Ciel's watchful eyes! But unlike other thieves in the kingdom, she's not afraid of the consequences and willing to do almost anything (morally and within good reason) to survive, as she rushes to the edge of the Kingdom, and to the countryside to escape certain punishment (and death)!
> 
> As she escapes the wrath of her much more dangerous 'accomplices', she spots an old tower, seemingly enveloped in eternal nighttime.

_"Come back here, you little bitch!"_

A woman with long, red hair and spectacles screeched as she'd charge angrily after a little girl, her partner, with similar red hair trailing not far behind. She'd jump over a rock that the girl had just flipped herself over, and onto the gravel path leading to the bridge that connected the countryside to the Sibling Star's Kingdom, a bright grin on the younger's lips as she grasped the leather, brown satchel in her tiny, pale hands.  
  
"If you want it so badly, then why don'tcha catch me first, you crusty geezer!"  
  
Sieglinde, the little girl who had managed, out of all the thieves in the kingdom, to STEAL the extremely valuable (and sentimental) crown that had once belonged to the Kingdom's long-lost prince, Prince Aster, who had at one point, controlled the Moon and gave the world nighttime. But ever since his disappearance...The kingdom and the world both...Were left without night.

It was terrible.

The crops were weaker, the ocean was just...Madness, and overall - it was a total mindfuck to everyone. With no night, it was almost impossible to tell the time, and a total trial to even fall asleep! All in all, you could ask anyone in the Kingdom, and they'd all agree that they missed the night more than anything.

Not that they hated the sun, after all, they were all still, very, very much grateful to Prince Ciel for even bothering to keep it up for them, even after what had happened to his dear brother - which they all knew, when Prince Aster had disappeared, it had taken a heavy, heavy toll on the older twin - both emotionally, and physically (he became physically weaker without him- they're connected, and rely on each other for not only love and support like anyone else, but their literal strength, and overall POWER). 

Oh, how everyone wished for their dear, dear Moon Prince to finally make his return, back to the safety of the Kingdom, and bring them his beautiful night once more.

"D-Darn it..."  
  
The girl mumbled softly under her breath as she'd reach a dead-end- a stone wall, blocking her escape from not only the blasted Palace Guards but the two women she had been "working" with only a few hours prior. Nervously, and completely on edge, Sieglinde would look around, memorizing her surroundings, before she'd spot a branch...No, a large root - sticking out from the said wall - a way to escape!

She'd grin, and grab a hold of it, and start to climb up, soon enough finding more, and using those to level herself, and climb up the wall, to her freedom, as both the guards and the two women tried to chase after her. Smirking, the girl would successfully pull herself up the wall, and onto blessed higher ground.

Sieglinde would take one more quick look around, before booking it deep into the Supernova Forest, a beautiful, terrifying (it's terrifying because there's like 1,00000 ways you can DIE from getting robbed to accidentally falling off a jagged cliff and plummeting to your inevitable death, this forest has it all!) way to travel one way to another, as well as trade. As she ran, she'd hear the heart-racing, angry voices of the guards, making her run even harder than before, her head spinning with dizziness, mixed with raw fear.

"STOP, IN THE NAME OF THE SUN AND THE MOON!"  
  
A guard roared close behind the little thief, only making her quicken her pace as she'd race even further into the forest, her legs feeling number and number by each passing second.

_'Dang, dang dang- for once, I think these stupid swells are going to catch me for once-'_

The girl thought...before faceplanting into...A leg?

Taking several seconds to catch her breath, as well as stop herself from wanting to puke her practically non-exist breakfast up, the girl would finally look up- and freeze up in absolute shock and horror, staring at the horse....? Man....? Horse-man...? Centaur?! 

SHE HAD JUST RAN INTO A CENTAUR.

IN THE MIDDLE OF SUPERNOVA FOREST.

Sieglinde had already _considered_ herself toast a plethora of occasions (this time defiantly no exception), but she never meant it _LITERALLY. _

Both terrified, and hyped up (finally) on adrenaline, the girl would scramble, grabbing her things before rushing off into the nearby patch of trees- which would lead to a whole AREA of everyone's *favorite* ivy, poison ivy - without knowing that it was. The centaur (yes, you read that right. CENTAUR), Sebastian (yes, he had a name- and yes, it was he) would groan, rolling his crimson-red eyes as he'd trot, slightly annoyed might I add, to the girl that had just oh so worriedly ran past him. 

'Does she even have any clue what she's running to...? Probably not, seeing as she's running so bloody fast she's literally about to collapse and die of heart failure-'

He'd soon enough catch up to her, and in a quick second, he'd grab ahold of the girl's tattered green dress, and pull her aside, pushing her into a nearby flowering bush with a sigh. 

"You DO _realize_ that you were about to dive, head-first into poison ivy, right...?"

"You _TALK?!"_

Sebastian would stare at the girl, face-palming almost immediately. 

"Uh...Obviously? I'm not exactly a full-on-horse, girl."

Sieglinde would poke her head out of the bushes, her emerald-green eyes narrowing on the centaur, clearly annoyed at him.

"I have a name, you cur. It's _Sieglinde-_ don't freaking go around, calling people 'girl' or 'boy'! It's insensitive and de-humanizing!"

"How was I SUPPOSED to know what your name is, Miss Sieglinde? I don't know if you didn't already notice, but we haven't exactly met before...Making that bloody impossible-"

He'd say with a snarl, just before the younger would shush him, covering the centaur's mouth as she heard the hushed voices of the guards (and annoyingly enough) the two women from before. She'd make a zipping motion at her lips, before pointing in the direction of the voices.

The two would stay there for what seemed like an eternity (in reality, just several minutes) before they'd both cautiously sit up, and examine their surroundings (Sieglinde, mostly) before Sieglinde would finally crawl out of the brush, and get back on her feet, taking the time to dust herself off, and wipe some of the mud that had gotten on her peeling shoes, off.

"I thought I was done for- thanks...I guess....Uh...-"

"- Sebastian -"

"-O-Oh, yes...Um, _Sebastian!_ I'm sorry for acting so...Uh, rudely? When we first met, a few minutes ago...As you can see, I'm uh, kind of wanted by the Palace Guards right now for um...Taking a thing..."  
  


Sebastian would raise a licorice-black eyebrow, as he'd rest a knuckle on his...Hip?

"So what you're telling me...Is that YOUR the girl that 'supposedly' stole the Moon Prince's crown?"

"I...."

"You literally- basically, just admitted to me that you did. - The question is..._Why?_ You already knew the consequences for taking it, and now that you've done it, not only will you be on the Kingdom's watch list for all eternity, but if and when they bloody catch you, you'll be hanged- or worse, for your crimes!"  
  
The girl would stand there, silent, with her pale-white fists at her sides as she'd hear the centaur practically berate her for doing what she did before- 

"I..._needed_ to...As simple as that....I...I-I know it's worth even more than gold, and even all the diamonds in the Kingdom...Because...Well, to put it simply.."  
  
Sieglinde would pause for a moment, before taking a deep breath, closing her eyes for a split second before opening them, and looking back up Sebastian with a...Somber, expression on her face.

"Without all that money this thing could bring me...My mother will find, and use me again...Hurt me...Treat me like...Some stupid animal, with no thoughts or feelings- just for work, and benefiting her..."

She'd tell him, clearly both ashamed and nervous, awkwardly fiddling with her skirts as Sebastian would place a hand on her shoulder, and for once...Instead of coming off as rude and (very) annoyed, actually caring...He'd take her hand, and lead her down an old, almost invisibly-marked path down the forest, passing many beautiful flowers, plants, as well as thorns and such alike as they made their way, all the way down to a stream before the centaur stopped, and took a look to in back of them...Almost on edge, before backing away, and pointing to what seemed...To once be a while back, before trees, bushes, and other flora and fauna took over the area, making it overrun.

"I would have been taking you further, but...I'm afraid this is where I must leave. You see, I must...Get back to my um...' friend' who I promised to assist earlier...That, and it's _not safe_ for something like me to be here- If you need me, you know where to find me, alright?"

He'd tell her, just as he'd turn around, and start back on another path to wherever in the Prince's names he was going.

"Uh...No, I don't? How the hell would I even do th-"  
  


The centaur would look back, giving her a friendly, yet teasing smirk.

"That's the _point,_ Miss Sieglinde-:

And with that, as if he had never been there, not even at all, he was gone.

Sieglinde would stand there for a few moments, staring at the exact spot Sebastian had disappeared to with a gentle sigh, before tiredly rubbing her eyes, and starting back up, on her way, hoping to the Princes that there would be some way she could escape this whole thing without losing her damning head!

After several minutes of walking on the practically non-existent path Sebastian had guided her to, she'd...

_Oh no._

No.

_YOU CANNOT BE BLOODY SERIOUS._

_HOW THE HELL DID THEY GET HERE?!_

It was the voices of the two women from earlier- and there was no way in Tartarus that'd she risk even the slight POSSIBILITY of running into those ladies again!

Sieglinde would gulp, and, as quietly as she possibly could, she'd rush in the opposite direction...Only to end up right in back of them. Gasping quietly (in complete fucking horror, might I add) she'd quickly and quietly run to a large rock covered with vines and moss, her back to it...Until she...Fell in?

_'Did I LITERALLY, right this second, FALL INTO A ROCK?!'_

Sieglinde thought, groaning quietly in pain, as she would get up after falling into what she had thought was nothing more than a solid rock. As the voices got closer, she would stand there, as stiff as a board before they passed, and knew (for a FACT) that she'd be safe to leave.

Though, just in case, she would...

Looking up, much to Sieglinde's absolute shock (and utter confusion) there, in front of her was a beautiful, old tower, shrouded in the gorgeous, quiet darkness, the Moon high above in the sky, elegant, dazzling stars, glistening in the night sky.

.

.

.

_"I...Thought that our Moon was stolen away, for...Forever.....What is 'it'- no, HE, doing here...?"_


	5. theories in prince aster's moonlight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After more than a thousand years of no one having even the slightest clue that the Moon Prince could even be alive, a local thief, Sieglinde Sullivan, discovers the old, magically corrupted tower that holds him, unbeknownst to her.
> 
> Surrounded by a staticy, broken eternal night, it gives the thief ideas that maybe...Just maybe, by one simple chance and a single foolish wish, that the Kingdom's beloved Prince was here, waiting to be rescued...
> 
> Or was he hiding away, on purpose...?
> 
> No, that couldn't be...
> 
> Prince Aster seemed practically happy as he had always been, the day before he had gone missing....
> 
> But even so, looks can be deceiving, can't they?

** _"I...Thought that our Moon was stolen away, for...Forever.....What is 'it'- no, HE, doing here...?"_ **

Was all that rang in a certain thief's head as she stood there, in all the glory of that old, magically-corrupted tower that didn't even seem...Man-made. It...Looked like...very well, it could have just sprouted up, out of the ground a thousand years ago, undisturbed for an eternity, until...She came and disrupted the peace that it had once had.

It felt wrong, in all honesty...Being here, in such a beautiful, breath-taking place...

She felt unworthy. 

A beautiful place such as this...There was no place for a poor, dirty, disgusting thief like her. She, now and not ever, would be worthy to be in a place that reminded her so much of the lost Prince. 

But even so...why did she feel so uneasy...? So on edge? Shouldn't that be the opposite of what she was feeling at this moment...? 

"Wait..."

Sieglinde would whisper, a shocked, yet quiet, muffle of a gasp would escape those tiny, cherry red lips of her's as she'd stare blankly at the gorgeous Moon illuminating the beautiful darkness that enveloped the darkness that only seemed to be in that, specific area...Surrounding the tower... 

_"N-No..._

_He...He can't be here...Prince Aster's been gone for a thousand years, he can't possibly be here, hidden away from the rest of the world, like this! H-How did no one find him, here...? Y-Yes, it was a little tricky to find the tower in the first p-place, but...If people tried hard enough, I'm s-sure they could, by now.....!"_

The girl mumbled softly, silvery tears welling up in Sieglinde's eyes, shaking softly as she'd tightly grasp a nearby tree for support as well as a possible hiding spot (not wanting whoever was there, or near her to find her) as she'd gaze up to the tower, her emerald-green eyes looking to an open window, with a dim light source amitting from it...

Could he truly be here?

If he was, then why...?

He seemed so genuinely happy with his life, especially so with being the Prince of the Night, so...Then why did he leave...? 

Just...Getting up, and leaving wasn't like Prince Aster at all, and everyone in the Kingdom knew it. When the Prince was announced missing by Undertaker, Prince Ciel's right hand, it was a huge shock to everyone, and nothing was the same after that...After Prince Aster left, there was no more Moon...

_No more comets._

_No more constellations..._

_No more stars..._

_No more darkness..._

_No more shadows..._

_ **No more nighttime. ** _

Prince Ciel took it the hardest out of everyone, unsurprisingly. 

And why would it be surprising, anyways? The Sibling Stars were twins, for celestial sake! Not only that, but they were also quite literally the human embodiments of both the Sun and the Moon as well...If they weren't already connected as humans, they were connected as stars...

But even so, there was something...Unsettling...Er, strange about Prince Ciel's whole 'reaction' as well as 'actions' when Prince Aster had disappeared all those years ago, without a trace...

The Sun Prince had started to...Make some... strange changes to the laws, as well as he just...It seemed so different from before, and no one quite even knew why he was acting like this...Was it possible that whenever their Sibling Stars were separated for a long time, they started acting strangely, as well as.... erratic...?

But in Sieglinde's mind, it had never quite added up...It had never, once, made sense to her!

Not only was Prince Ciel acting strange, but to her, he had been taking full advantage of Prince Aster's absence. The changes to all the laws, as well as the adage of new, and removal of old, were just too...suspicious, to put it simply. Before this had happened, Sieglinde had never really found anything strange or even remotely weird about Prince Ciel, but now...?

Once she had actually set time aside to sit down, and fully think about it, the more and more the Sun Prince seemed guilty of doing something sinister to his younger, more compassionate, sweeter brother.

But the big question that hung in the air like a thick fog...Was why...?

Why on Earth would Prince Ciel ever want to do anything to...Possibly hurt, or send Prince Aster away for so long...? Was it because of jealousy? Or was it because of some other reason that she couldn't think of...?

* * *

_"Oh, Soma..._

_When do you think Ciel will ever let me leave...?"_

A voice would suddenly ask, coming from the tower - successfully scaring the absolute daylights of Sieglinde, who had been lost in thought ever since she had accidentally stumbled into the area with the help of her...new acquaintance, Sebastian. Shocked and completely startled, the girl would fully hide via the tree she had already been next to, stealing a hazy glimpse of a boy who the voice (she assumed) belonged to.

She couldn't make out any serious details from him, but what she could see...

He had beautiful, bluish-grey hair and peach-pale skin...Wearing a white nightgown, and was barefoot, but that was it. He was shorter, and pretty slim too - but not the sickly type. He looked pretty healthy, now that she thought about it, getting on her tippy-toes to /hopefully/ get a better look of the boy, her heartbeat now racing to tend fold after hearing that one, simple mention that she had always been suspicious about, ever since the Prince's mysterious disappearance. 

** _'Ciel?!'_ **

_It echoed..._

No, _POUNDED_ in her head like a loud drum. With her newfound information, as well as spiking adrenaline, the girl would suddenly bounce to her feet and (as quietly as she could muster) and ran as fast as her feet could carry her, back to the path that she had used to get there, now with a new purpose pounding in her heart, a sunny, yet determined smile on her lips.

_'Sebastian isn't going to believe this..._

_ Prince Ciel's been hiding something..._

_No......_

_ Someone..._

_ for a great while now, and I think it's about the bloody time it comes to light!"_

_..._

"I know it's a foolish thing to wish, but...Do you ever think he will...? Just for a little while, at least....? That's all I want...Just a little while...An hour, at least...Oh, What I'd do for an hour of freedom, away from here!"

Aster would say with a sweet giggle as he'd peered out into the glitchy night, a soft, yet broken smile on his lips as he'd rest his pristine, pale hands on the ledge of the window that had, all those years ago had become his usual spot, all those years ago, back when Ciel had first locked him away, up in the tower.

Soma would smile sadly at the lonely Prince, who'd rest his elbows on the ledge, his chin in the palm of his hands as he'd let out a long, and airy breath, longingly staring at the Moon, which seemed to be slowly...Shattering...

Not only from the lack of use by its rightful master, but also from Aster's raw, broken emotions that greatly affected the beautiful, milky-white star. Ever since Ciel had locked Aster away, and made him forget...Nothing had been the same...

The Moon included.

_The longer Aster stood apart from his Star, and looked away, forgetting about his power...The more and more the night (and subsequently) the Moon started to break, and shatter out of existence._

_If this kept up, and if Aster continued to forget..._

_It wouldn't be long until the entire Universe would be thrown off balance. _

_And bit by bit....._

_piece by piece..._

**Completely shatter into absolute nothingness.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so, so much to shad0w queen (Shad0w-queen.tumblr.com) and lesbkinz (Lesbkinz.tumblr.com) for helping me with the chapter summary and title-
> 
> Not only that but another big, big thanks to lezbkinz for helping me out with the insane, ever-evolving, mind-boggling lore of 'lullaby for a prince!'
> 
> you all were a huge and wonderful help, so ty so, so much from the bottoms of my heart!


	6. a confession surrounded by daisies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sebastian makes a confession that not only shocks and horrifies our beloved thief, but also only helps to build upon her theories and concerns revolving a certain Sun Prince..that isn't so innocent in his role of his little brother's disappearance as she had previously thought.

"Sebastian!

_Sebaaaaaaaaaaaastian~! _

Sebastian, I have news!"

A familiar, adorably-sweet, yet determined voice rang out from the surrounding forest as Sebastian was saying goodbye to his...Erm.... client. The centaur, with a gentle sigh and an annoyed eye roll, would say a muffled 'goodbye' as the man that he had spent the past few hours with. 

The man would smirk, pushing his charcoal-black spectacles up to the bridge of his nose as he'd take out a few Starian notes, counting them out until he decided that he had come to the correct amount, handing them carelessly to the centaur, practically tossing them as he'd start, down the path he had come to visit the cherry-red eyed 'equine'. 

Shocked and infuriated by his client's behavior, the half-man, half-horse would stare at the payer in annoyance, barely noticing the notes about to touch the ground before he scooped them up in one fell swoop, tightly grasping the money in his hand, a hand one of the his...hips? As he watched the man walk away.

"Same time, in a couple of days, Faustus?" 

The man would give Sebastian barely so much as a nod before practically knocking down a very excited and adrenaline-filled local thief, Sieglinde Sullivan, successfully making the black-haired girl trip in the process. She'd barely catch herself right before she hit the ground, and as soon as she'd look up, she got met with her usual scolding, that everyone seemed to be keen on giving to her, even when they were in the wrong-

"Watch where you're going, you filthy mutt. One more time and I'll make sure you'll have more than a sprained ankle..."

He'd grumble, his golden eyes glaring at her, practically reaching her soul. The girl, dumbfounded and incredibly irritated would bite her lip in frustration, about to say something derogatory back, but right before she could, the centaur from before, Sebastian, would stand in front of the girl, blocking her way, allowing the rude man to get away, scott-free. 

"What the bloody hell was that for?! You saw what that man did, and said to me, right? That's no way to talk to any-"

Before the girl could say anymore, sighing, the centaur would cut her off as he'd gently cross his arms, shaking his head before looking back down at Sieglinde.

"My dear, I know it isn't, but that idiotic cur is always like that- on top of that, I can't have you scaring..._Er, irritating_ my customers away, Miss Sieglinde. After all, if you do that, then how am I _supposed_ to make a living?"

The girl would let out a long, quiet sigh, looking down at her dirty boots, unable to find an answer as the centaur would place a hand on her shoulder. Sieglinde would look up, and apologize, just as she and he would make their way back to Sebastian's home, the little thief being a tiny bit slower paced than the half-man.

  
"I'm sorry for acting like that, but I -"

The girl would suddenly cut herself off, stopping in her tracks in both disbelief and shock before finally speaking.

" - Wait...Why in celestial's name were you with Claude Faustus, the bloody village pimp? Don't tell me your-"

_"Unfortunately." _

Rubbing her temples and stifling a laugh, the girl would shake her head as they walked to the bench. Sebastian sits down (??) nearby, as Sieglinde took the bench. The little thief would snag a few daises from near her, examining them as the centaur would ask her why she had come back to him so quickly, raising a licorice-black eyebrow as she'd look up from the flowers.

The girl would sit there for a while, finding the words that she could even say to the half-man, wondering if this was a good idea, let alone if the centaur would even bloody believe her in the first place...Or agree with her theories about Prince Ciel, in the first place. 

She had so much she wanted to tell him but didn't know how...

Sieglinde had no interest in gaining an enemy, or at least, a being that would be upset with her for what she thought.

He'll get angry at me, for sure...

But if I never say anything, then how, in the Moon Prince's name shall I ever know if I'm right, or if he agrees with me....?

If I don't say anything, I'll never know if he has any valuable information that he could share with me...

"Miss Sieglinde, are you _alright...?_ You've been quiet for the past several minutes, and I'm sure you didn't come all this way...Out of your way, for that matter, possibly risking yourself of danger or imprisonment just to stay silent when I finally have a few minutes open to talking before I get back to work..."

Snapping out of her thoughts, and hearing the half-man's voice...As well as his words, the girl would bite the inside of her cheek, thinking about what she could say to the centaur, before finally feeling a bit of courage. She'd take a deep breath, and shut her eyes for a moment while she'd grip the frilly hems of her torn skirt.

"Well...Before I say anything...

Promise you won't hate or make fun of me, or anything...? While I was on the path, I...I seemed to have found s-something..."

The girl would pause for a moment, before shaking her head.

"...No,_ someONE._ Or, at least, I'd like to think I have...It's about the Princes if I'm being honest..."

Sebastian would star at the girl, clearly surprised, as well as confused as Sieglinde would talk, admitting that she had...Found someone? Relating to their Monarchs, the Twin Sibling Stars themselves, Prince Ciel and Prince Aster. But what did that have to do with anything...? What did that even mean?

Wait.

No...

Did she find him?

No, she couldn't have - that's bloody impossible...He's been gone for a thousand years, almost more in a few days!

"You...Can't be talking about the Moon Prince, could you, Miss Sieglinde...?"

He'd ask, looking up to the girl, thoughtfully crossing his arms as the tiny which nodded, confirming the centaur's suspicions. 

"...Yes. You see, from where I was...Well, where I ended up, was...A place I've never been before, and...I'm sure, that besides whoever delivers food and supplies there...It's a tower. And from what I can tell, from my short time being there...There's...At the very, very least, two people there..."

The girl would tell him, sighing gently as she'd daintily pluck the daisies' petals, recounting what she had seen and heard from her time there, as Sebastian would patiently listen.

"Not only that but it...It had...Night there...."

The centaur's eyes would widen in shock upon hearing these words, his heart suddenly starting to pound at the thought that somehow, somewhere in the world, there was the night!

"Your serious, Miss Sieglinde...?"

The thief nodded softly, a slight, giddy smile appearing on her lips as the half-man straightened up a bit, now very, very much eager to hear the rest of what the girl had to say.

"Oh Sebastian, it's positively gorgeous! I've never seen such a beautiful night in what seems like an eternity - the Moon practically left me in a trance! - If anyone's there, Prince Aster, at the very, very least has to be nearby! I mean...There's no one else in the entire universe that could do that!"

She'd say with a hopeful smile on her lips, as Sebastian nodded softly in agreement, tucking a strand of his hair behind an ear.

"So my suspicions were correct...He has been held here, for quite the time...How horrible of 'His Majesty'. Disgusting..."

The centaur mumbled softly, clearly angered...Not only by this fact but also...Because he seemed to _know_ something that Sieglinde _didn't._

"I...Is there something wrong, Sebastian...? Did something happen?"

He'd let out a long sigh, and he'd nod softly as Sieglinde found herself sitting up a little straighter as he'd get ready to tell his story. 

"Well.....I haven't always been like this...."

* * *

_It had all started about a thousand years or so time ago..._

_You see, me and my good friend, Agni, had always enjoyed our walks in the forest as we'd...Ironically, look for criminals running amock the land, as we were apart of Starian Kingdom staff...I wasn't necessarily a knight, no, not at all...Agni was. For I was but a simple manservant that was employed to help any servant that needed the assistance...Until I got noticed by His Majesty, the Moon Prince. _

_Up until I had gotten hired by one of the head servants, I'd never once had a job like that...And even then, it didn't pay as good as it could, but I was grateful. Ever since my parents died, my sister...She was tired of providing for me...She threw me out after Mother and Father were gone, so I had nowhere to go, no money...No home..._

_The pay I'd gotten from the odd jobs weren't the best, and I didn't have a home, l but that was fine. After all, I planned to save it so I could, someday in the future..._

_I'd thought I'd be on the streets for many, many more Moons until that day that I finally had enough, came...But...Because of Him...I didn't have to wait._

_I still remember what had happened when he asked me, to work for him. I had just finished assisting one of the gardeners, a boy several years younger than me...Finny, I think his name was...? And...Right as I was about to leave the gardens, to see if I could get any more work, and earn some more money before the day was up, he came up to me._

_Seeing how young you are, I doubt you remember what he was like, other than that he was kind, giving and talented in the magics...You know, the things that were already widely known by the rest of the Kingdom beforehand, as well as how he was described in the scrolls, as well as books about The Brothers..._

_With one of the calmest and genuine smiles I've ever seen anyone give someone of my status, he had earnestly asked me if I'd be able to do a job for him - of course, I said yes. How foolish would I have to be to decline anyone superior to me, especially one of the Princes?_

_The job, you ask? What was it?_

_Well, it was being his bodyguard, as he lacked one...It wasn't necessarily needed, due to him having a legion of guards that were near him almost all the time, so I was confused, but I didn't question him...After all, who is one to question the decisions of one of the Twin Princes? _

_.......As the days past, I began to realize why he chose me to 'guard' him..._

_It...Wasn't because he needed or wanted it..._

_It..._

_................Was because he wanted a friend._

_We spent hours upon hours each day, talking about daily life, as well as interests...I told him my secrets, and he told me his.....I...I shared everything with him, and for the first time...I wasn't scared that someone was going to hate me, because unlike most people I knew, he cared and understood me..._

_He always confided in me, about his worries relating to his elder brother...He told me how his big brother would always make him have an extra set of unneeded guards, how he'd always have to stay with his brother if no one else was available...How he'd stalk him any chance he'd get..._

_How he started to force him to sleep with him in the same bed due to his worry that someone might take him away..._

_He was becoming terrified of his older brother._

_It wasn't before long I started to hear whispers of him wishing to run away, from Prince Ciel...He had asked me, and a few other servants, as well as a couple, trusted friends to accompany him when he did, and we all agreed to do so...I wanted to, as well...Not only because it was my duty as his protector, but also as my duty as...His friend..._

_For many Moons, we packed and made detailed plans on what we were going to do, where we were going to go...How we were going to survive...But no one was worried, though...As one of the kindest and responsible for the Princes...We knew we could depend on Prince Aster for our needs, and he promised us that no matter what, we needn't worry, and simply to trust him...Which we did..._

_It seemed like it was going well, and honestly, I'm surprised that it did for so long...Until Prince Ciel found out. It was the night we were all going to run, and Prince Aster made it especially dark so none could see us, with the invisable path, from His Majesty's Moon..._

_We ran into the night, hands in hands, promising that we'd all stick together, no matter what...We made it to the Ocean Starlight, about to make it to a boat to cross...Only to get stopped by Prince Aster's blasted older brother in the process...To make a long story short, he had a group of his damning cronies, ready to take every one of us away. He grabbed Prince Aster, and before my Majesty could get out of his grip, he used some kind of his bloody magic to knock him out...He ordered his men to take us to the dungeons, to await our punishments._

_Due to me being the closest to him, he wiped everyone's memory of me, and...Turned me into...This...To another close friend of his, Soma, he did the same, only he turned him into a lizard and tossed him out, like me...As for the others, Mey Rin, Finny, Bard, and...Snake, I think their names were...Their memories were wiped, and they were given jobs lower than their previous, I'm sure..._

_Before I left, however, he promised that, no matter what I did, or Soma, for that matter, we'd never be able to find His Majesty, ever again...And even if we did, he wouldn't remember us._

** _He wouldn't remember anyone._ **


	7. little blue boy, unhappily trapped in a tower, waiting there for years and years, for that sweet little thief that will grant him freedom from his evil older brother

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been almost two Moons since Aster had last seen his older brother, and understandably, he was getting pretty worried...After all, this wasn't like the older twin at all. Was he in trouble? Was something wrong...? Well, until the day he's finally let out of his tower prison, he'll never have the answer.
> 
> Sieglinde Sullivan, after getting advice from Sebastian, as well as the (hopeful) truth about what had really happened to Moon Prince all those years ago, is back on the hunt for the younger royal.
> 
> Will she find him in the tower she found earlier?
> 
> According to Sebastian, most likely...
> 
> Hopefully, he won't be too angry when a dirty thief like herself comes up to save him...

_Ow..._

_ Ow..._

** _OW!_ **

Sieglinde gasped, annoyed tears welling up in the green-eyed girl's eyes as she'd accidentally, once again, ran into another one of those pesky thorned branches that she was _REALLY_ growing to hate as she'd continued to stumble through them, hoping to get back to the tower she had found it several hours ago, before it became excruciatingly hot and she suffered yet another irritating headache.

Feeling like she was about to overheat due to the lack of shadows and overall coolness, she found herself dizzily stumbling to the nearest stream, and taking a seat. The girl would let out a long sigh, wiping a good amount of sweat off her brow. Using her hands, she would cup them to form a makeshift bowl and plunge them into the water, taking a drink. She sighed, gulping, feeling the dryness and overall irritation in her throat. The water had helped a bit, but not a whole lot.

After the loss of Prince Aster and his night, gone was all sense of darkness, and any type of coolness, too! All the pools of water started to suffer greatly, and now it was exceptionally hard to find water, and thus began the *wonderful*, new tax on not just the water from the wells, but any type of body of water, and even RAIN water! It was getting bloody ridiculous, and she, all the other citizens hated it with a bloody passion, but what the hell could they do? It was hard enough already for Prince Ciel to make to rain, let alone control its temperature to the point to make it tolerably drinkable without burning your mouth, let alone boiling your insides, so what was anyone going to do, anyways?

She would take a weary, deep breath before getting back up, clearly very much tired. She'd reach for the satchel she had been carrying, which honestly, felt like she had been doing it for an eternity. Slowly, but surely, Sieglinde, after several minutes of being lost and not knowing where to turn next to find the tower once again.

The girl would sigh, wiping her brow once more before accidentally stumbling over a stray rock, and faceplanting into a pile of dead leaves.

Tears welled up in the girl's bleary emerald-green eyes, Sieglinde would dearly get to her knees and began to shakily pull herself up. Despite her dizziness, and overall feeling rather sick, she'd manage to pull herself together and continue down the path that she set out to follow.

Following the many branches, stones, and flora that she had remembered that was on the path she had followed prior, she'd soon enough - and thankfully so, finally found herself recognizing her surroundings as she walked the path, near the area of the forest where she remembered the tower was located.

On her way, Sieglinde would notice a rather lovely patch of wildflowers on her way there...Shocking alive and...Well? She'd take a seat on her knees, and gently pat a few of the flowers, terrified that she'd break it...But...She didn't. Much to the girl's shock, it didn't...At all. Instead, the flower was soft and bouncy, just like all the flowers had been a thousand years prior, all the way back when there were coolness, darkness, and wetness...

All...Provided to them by their long lost Moon Prince, who, no matter what, always made sure that his loving subjects were wonderfully taken care of and comfortable, while under the eternal reign of he and his older brother...Unlike his big brother who was noticeably cruel, Prince Aster was kind.

He was admirable and kind in his way, but nothing like his sweet little brother, who, despite being pretty shy, had always had the people in mind, rather than himself.

She took a deep breath, feeling around the patch of flowers, gasping in shock when she felt wetness around them...Not the wetness you'd feel when something was watered or had been...It was more...Cold...? Damp...? It...Felt like...back when Prince Aster was around...Back when crops and the flora were alive and well.....

Back when the world was prospering.

_The Tower is nearby. _

Ready and determined to not only find, but also release the Moon Prince, Sieglinde, with a bright smile on her ruby-red lips, would find herself getting up, and hurrying up down the path, a new sense of purpose in her heart.

* * *

It had felt like an eternity, but she had finally managed to find what she had decided to set out to find since the day before, with Sebastian's help. Carrying the same satchel that she had been all this time, now honestly just felt like a pile of rocks rather than the crown she had swiped several days before.

Sieglinde smirked tiredly, pushing the pale, almost...Yellow...Brown...-ish vines away, she'd enter the same cave that she had the first time, only this time, with a bit more confidence...As well as heart-race-inducing nervousness. Words couldn't possibly EXPLAIN how undoubtedly terrified and unworthy she felt, to be doing this.

Not only was she worried that Prince Aster would (unsurprisingly) hate her - not only due to her status as a present, and of course, a disgusting, dirty thief. Not just any thief, though. The dirty, disgusting thief that had the AUDACITY to STEAL HIS precious crown. Not only that but the huge, huge possibility of getting caught by either someone who had the task of watching Prince Aster, or the dangerous, unforgiving Sun Prince himself, Prince Ciel.

Gulping nervously as she'd anxiously grip the hems of her leather satchel, she'd continue her way, clearing yet another patch of vines, before entering into the area from before, the tower, - the eerily statically night in tow. Sieglinde, standing there for several minutes in a mix of awe and terror, debating whether if she should actually...Go through with her plan at all.

After what seemed like forever, biting her lip and giving herself a quick nod, grabbing a hold of the hem of her dress, she'd finally make her way out of the cave and to the tower, where she'd start to scale it, in the hope of climbing it to finally reach the Prince she assumed was in there.

After securely fastening her satchel to her person, Sieglinde quietly trotted over to the tower after a few minutes of studying it and taking the time to get a feel for the stones that made up its foundation, as well the tower itself. Grabbing what she deemed a stable stone, she started to pull herself up, and thus began the acsent upwards towards the window she had remembered from the night...Er, a day before. 

Her heart pounding widely, she grabbed stone after stone, nervously but carefully, making her sure she was placing her feet on the stones that she had grabbed ahold of as she was pulling herself up, knowing that they were, at the very least, safe to climb up...Or at least she hoped. 

After several, several minutes, she'd finally manage to successfully pull herself up to the rather...Big ledge...And before finally and fully getting up, she'd take a few big deep breathes, sweat streaming down the girl's face, she'd pull herself up. Now sitting on the ledge, she'd take several moments to rest, wiping her very, very sweaty brow before awkwardly crawling forward, and taking a peek through the window- gasping in shock to see that yes, someone WAS living here!

Looking through the window, she'd spot an open cabinet with several paintings, books, notebooks, and scrolls strewn about a couple of couches, chairs, the coffee table, as well as the carpet-covered wood floor. From what the small girl could see from her perch, the paintings and notebooks (that were on their right-side up, or open) seemed to either be scenes of the beauty of winter, the wetness and the playfulness of rain and the spookiness and overall gorgeousness of darkness and thus, night.

Several moons, comets, constellations, and stars seemed to be painted on the walls, in the same style as all the paintings and sketches in the notebooks and paintings she had noticed on strewn about from before...

The girl, taking a deep breath, gently pressed up against the window, leading it to pop open. Sieglinde sat there for several moments, wondering whether she should do this or not, biting the inside of her cheek before inevitably deciding to finally go in the tower, untucking her legs and quietly getting down from the ledge, now finally inside the tower, and taking the time to check her surrounds, before hearing a sound and going towards it- 

"AAAAAAAAH!"

Something metal and flat, that felt terrible, terribly hot made contact with her head, and just like that, she was out like a snuffed candle. 

* * *

** _"AAAAAAAAH!"_ **

Aster cried in pure, horrified shock as he, out of pure confusion and fear, hit her over the head with a baking sheet he had recently just pulled out of the oven, from baking a several dozen white chocolate strawberry cookies for his older brother, in hopes that he'd be here in a few days.

Surrounded by now ruined and messy cookies, and a black-haired girl on the floor, the former prince stood there, completely concerned and confused...And completely, absolutely fucking TERRIFIED. 

Nervously, the boy would get down on his knees and shakily check the girl for any injuries, even though him being completely terrified of her, whoever she was, he was very, very much worried for her wellbeing and scared that he had somehow, accidentally hurt her...

He'd check her body for injuries, finding a couple, quickly-formed bruises from him hitting her on the head with his hot baking sheet...And many, many others that weren't caused by him. Painful looking sunburns, several other bruises, scars from being hurt with a sharp object, as well as other sicknesses that she had suffered from in the past, cuts, and a seemingly...Minorly sprained wrist and a majorly sprained ankle.

Immediately, feeling even more guilty than he had before, Aster would find himself tearing up, and start to softly cry as he'd get up, rushing off quickly to grab a few medical supplies he had, hidden away in a cabinet above one of the counters in the kitchen for emergencies. He'd grab the supplies he both not only knew he would need but also a few that he thought he would, as well before returning to the girl.

"I'm s-sorry for hurting you, miss...I...I didn't mean to...It's just t-that no one ever, besides my big brother comes here, so i-it was very much frightening...And...Alarming to see someone I've...N-Never seen, or even met b-efore in my life...Suddenly is...here, in m- I mean, Soma and I are home...Because he lives here too...He's my best friend..."

The child would distractedly explain to the unconscious girl as if she was awake and could hear him as he very carefully, as well as gently clean and dress her wounds with a nervous, quiet sigh. It wouldn't be long before he had finally finished his work, and he'd sit there, on the floor next to her, wondering what he should do now...

The small teen wasn't about to leave this injured girl on the floor...That was rude, and she'd have a good chance of getting quite a nasty headache if he left her, here.

Perhaps he could drag her to one of the couches...Or his bed, maybe...? She could properly rest then! And...Hopefully, she wouldn't hate him...Too much.

After what felt like millennia and a hundred-hour workout, he had FINALLY managed to drag her up the stairs, and into his room. He'd grab her good wrist and wrap an arm around her waist, dragging her to his bed and laying her on it to the best of his ability. 

Aster would get on the bed, grab her good hand once more, and drag her up a bit so she'd fully be on his bed, and her legs wouldn't just be...Dangling...Uncomfortably...Anymore...

The teen would check to see if she was comfortable, and then check her wounds for a few more moments, finally deciding that (hopefully) she'd be perfectly fine here, while he cleaned up the living room...And make up for the cookies that he lost due to their little... encounter earlier.

Getting up from his seat on his bed, he'd gently pull the covers up, around the girl and gently tuck her in before blowing out the candle, and quietly closing the doot, and making his way down the many wooden steps that led to both his living room and kitchen.

Picking up a broom and a dustpan, he'd go to the area of their encounter and sweep it all up, finding each and every cookie, and dumping them into the trash, before he went back into the kitchen and going to the icebox, taking out the bowl of dough he had saved for later, to make in a few more days...Now having to make use of the rest he had left.

Pulling out the dough and clean rolling pin, he'd set both on a nearby counter and grab a nearby jar of flour, pulling it out and taking off the top, sprinkling some on the clean countertop he had decided to use for smoothing out the dough. He'd take out the remainder of the dough, and with the rolling pin, roll it all out to the point it was ready to be cut with one of his many cookie cutters and put on a baking sheet.

He'd cut out at least a dozen cookies, and carefully place them on the sheet with a gentle yawn, a small smile on those petal-pink lips of his as he'd carefully put the new batch in the oven, soon noticing his lizard friend, Soma nearby with the most curious expression on the reptile's lips, as if asking the younger teen what had happened.

_"It's a long story, but a girl came in and gave me quite the fright - I accidentally knocked her out with a scorching pan and lost a whole batch of cookies in the process...You know, the strawberry ones Ciel likes so much? Well, she...."_

The mention of his younger brother seemed to get his friend's mood down and scared....even..., which confused the child greatly, but he supposed...That yes, his brother was sort of scary from time to time, which made sense...When Ciel got mad, it was if he had completely vanished, and got replaced with a terrifying monster...

When Ciel got angry, Ciel wasn't...Ciel to Aster anymore.

He was a monster.

A cruel, terribly-horrible monster.

But Aster refused to ever admit that to anyone, let alone his friend...Or even...Universe forbids his dear older brother, who he loved with all his heart.

No matter how much anyone...Or anything, for that matter, pointed it out, Ciel wasn't, and was never a monster.

He would never anyone, and he would defiantly never hurt him.

Aster was sure of it.

He didn't care what anyone had to say.

_Ciel wasn't a monster._

_He loves me._

Anyone that said he was, or anything close was nothing more than a horrible, disgusting monster, intending to turn him against the only person in the world that loved him, was a _liar._

Everyone from the outside world, even the girl he helped, as far as Aster was concerned, we're all _liars._

_Ciel would never hurt me._

_He cares about me._

To Aster, anyone that would dare accuse his brother of anything, hurting, or Galaxies forbid...Lying, to him...

_Ciel would never lie to me._

_The only people that would ever lie to me are the people from the outside._

**And Aster _hated_ liars.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited several errors on 10/9/19.


	8. sugar cookies, sweet buns , and surpy-sweet smiles, all for the little blue boy and brave girl, both holding hands, up in sun's moon-lit enchanted tower

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sieglinde finally made it back to Aster's tower...Only to accidentally get knocked out by the confused, poor kid. 
> 
> When she wakes up, she finds out that, thankfully, the small teen isn't angry about who she is...In fact, he literally has no bloody clue about who the bloody hell she is, or even does. To Aster, she's nothing more than a scary stranger that climbed into his home...that has an insane imagination.

...........................

.........

.............

...

_Where am I...?_

Thought a rather drowsy Sieglinde Sullivan, after several hours of being blacked out from being hit in the back of the head with a scorching hot baking pan from a certain Moon Prince. The girl would lay in the Prince's bed for another several minute, staring at the ceiling as she contemplated how the hell she had gotten there, let alone why she was even still alive. 

Looking up at the ceiling, the girl would realize that they weren't just one color like ceilings usually were, no...They were full of color. Many, many colors...Shapes...No_...People! _

As the girl's eyes adjusted a bit more to her surroundings, the lighting, and her very existence in general (after being knocked out like she was the world's hardest to break in pinata) she'd notice that not only were people painted on the ceiling but, in fact, an entire scene was painted there....

There, on the ceiling, was a beautifully-detailed, clearly-intricate scene of a boy with familiar navy blue hair and beautiful eyes. With Prince Aster's Moon symbol on it.....Sitting among the stars, in the midst of the gorgeous night, with nothing but the before-mentioned stars, planets, constellations, comments and such being his only companions as he'd brokenly gaze at earth, crystalline-Esque tears streaming down his cherubic, rosy-cheeked face, his delicate, gentle-looking hands wrapped out a crystal scepter topped with a breathtaking, quite-literally-out-of-this-world looking-

_Looking._

_What was it called again?_

It's been quite a while since I last went to school, but I know for a fact Prince Aster and Ciel have those beautiful stone- NO, gems...? On the tips of their scepter.

The girl would lay there for several more minutes, struggling to think of what the gems....stones? On the tips of the Prince's scepters before groaning, and finally giving up as she shakily sat up on Aster's bed. Readying herself to get up, and face whoever had knocked her out- and judging from the terrifying scream, it was the Prince - or so she hoped. 

Sieglinde would get up, taking a second to stretch would take one last look at the room before finally heading down the spiraling staircase that led to both the tower's living room and the hallway that was connected to the bathroom and the kitchen (that doubled as the dining room as well). 

Every time the girl would try to force herself to go down the stairs and face the aching nervousness building up in her tiny chest, she just couldn't. Sieglinde would stare at the bottom of the stairs, dreading her eventual meeting. She knew for a fact that there was no way in Tartarus that she could ever even possibly DREAM of escaping it, but that didn't stop her from wishing that she was far, far away from this place. 

_"Oh, God.....Why in celestial's name did I have to try to play the hero and save him...? This can't possibly end well for me, no matter how badly I hope it will...After all, not only am I a disgusting peasant, but a thief to boot. Hell, I'm sure he hasn't even spoken to anyone, besides Prince Ciel...And knowing what Sebastian said about him, I'm sure Prince Ciel has been feeding him lies ever since he put him here, the bloody bastard...."_

The girl thought, suddenly (and finally, after an eternity of stalling) making her way down the stairs, her blood positively BOILING at that point due to pure fury - I mean, seriously, who does that to someone they SUPPOSEDLY LOVE? 

_"Ha, love my ass."_

Sieglinde mumbled, shaking her head, pushing the door leading into the kitchen with a sigh, in all honesty, not even feeling afraid anymore. She was ready to tell Prince Aster the truth, even if it meant possibly hurting his feelings, or getting a smack in the face (not that she thought he would - if he did, to her, it HAD to be Prince Ciel's doing. After all, she and the rest of the kingdom knew that Prince Aster wasn't even capable of hurting a fly. Seriously. If he saw someone about to kill a bug, he'd FORCE them to let it go), it didn't matter.

No matter what, she was going to save the beloved Moon Prince from his older brother's lies, as well as (hopefully) get him to someday soon bring night back. It had been so long, and the Kingdom had been suffering greatly without Prince Aster for nearly a thousand years!

* * *

"Soma, no, not there!"

Aster cried with a soft laugh as he'd rush over to scoop his best friend out of the flour he had just accidentally fallen into when he had been attempting to help the former prince bake scones for his guest, for when she finally woke up from her.....er, and Aster's 'little' accident from earlier, when he had smacked the poor girl in the back of the head with a hot-as-hell baking sheet.

Gently setting Soma down on a nearby counter after taking the liberty to dust his little friend off from his unfortunate tumble into flour, the child would give the lizard a smile before returning to the task at hand: baking for the girl that had just suddenly come into his life, only a meer six hours prior. 

The boy continued his work after dusting Soma off, and only in a matter of several minutes, finish up mixing the batter for the scones. He would work on it for a bit before it became dough, and Soma, happy to help his friend, assisted him in turning out the dough, onto a lightly floured surface to knead. The boy rolled out the dough, and cut it into a 1/2 round before cutting it into eight wedges. As he started to get them ready to put them on the baking sheet and into the oven, he felt a gentle poke on his cheek, coming from Soma who seemed a bit...distracted? Worried, almost...

"Soma, whatever is the matter..."

Just as he looked up from his work, there the girl that he had accidentally knocked out with a baking sheet hours earlier was, standing right behind him, a rather confident, yet tired look on her face as she stood there with an impatient hand on her hips.

"Your Majesty, we need to talk," the girl said with a soft sigh, anxiously rubbing her eyes as Aster stared at the younger girl, in complete surprise and utter confusion, whoo had taken several steps forward towards Aster, who, at that point, was just at a bloody loss for words. 

"Your Majesty...?" The boy mumbled softly, awkwardly putting the last of the edges of dough that he had in his hands on the nearby baking tray.

Sensing the older boy's confusion, Sieglinde face-palmed, suddenly realizing that when Prince Ciel 'supposedly', according to Sebastian, had wiped all memories of them- and maybe even his life as a royal, as well? I mean, seriously! What kind of Prince BAKED, let alone did any work, whatsoever?

Prince Aster, apparently, for some reason?

"You, Your Highness! I'm talking about you, Prince Aster. You co-rule the Twin Sibling Stars Kingdom, as _our_ Moon. Why do you sound so confused?" 

The words that the girl just said rang in Aster's head, like a neverending bell, adding to the small teen's confusion. What? Him, being any kind of royalty? A PRINCE, no less? 

_'Geez, I hit this girl harder than I thought...'_ Aster thought with a gentle sigh, but not before having a mini cringe attack. 

Whatever nonsense that girl somehow got into her head (thanks to him, so that was just WONDERFUL), he hoped to the Universe and back, with all his heart, that she came to her senses soon. After, all, he didn't know how long he could go with someone that thought he was a prince...Of the...Twin...Sibling Stars Kingdom? And that he was a Moon? THE MOON? 

What did that even mean?

What the hell _was_ that?

He had no idea...Ciel didn't tell him about any politics, or monarchies...All because he cared, and he didn't want Aster to get scared, or cry, or be upset in general. The one-time that he had, Ciel had broken down into a waterfall of tears and curled up into the tiniest ball he had ever seen anyone (or anything, for that matter) get into. 

After that, Aster had given up on asking things like that - to spare his big brother's feelings and any heartache, caused by foolishly asking such things. 

"I-I apologize for hitting you earlier, and pretty hard at that, I'm assuming. Trust me, I'm no prince, and especially not the Moon? I'm just me, Aster...Speaking of which," he grabbed the nearby baking tray and cautiously put it in the already heated oven. "how do you even know my name? I've never seen you before...?"

The girl sighed, facepalming internally as she struggled not to slap the royal before her. This was going to take a while to explain everything, wasn't it? 

Either way, she had come this far, and for what? Just stand there like a complete imbecile while Prince Aster assumed that she had gone crazy? 

NO. 

"With all due respect Your Highness, I didn't, and I know what I'm talking about. You ARE a prince, and according to my research, your brother is a literal garbage human being," Sieglinde stated matter-of-factly, crossing her arms and maintaining the serious, yet confident look that had adorned her face ever since she had come into the room. 

"I wish I had because everything that's happened to you is horrible! I wouldn't wish anyone the same fate as you, even my bloody biggest enemy!" 

She grabbed the boy's hand, leading him towards the living room as he followed, looking more and more confused as he took each step. Eventually, the two made it to a couch, where they both took a seat, and she offered to tell him everything that she knew all for the small, small price of him fully listening and taking into consideration what she was telling him.

_God, she hoped that he was willing to listen._

If he wasn't, then what was she going to do then? Just leave him be, and go back to her meaningless, pathetic life of thievery? Or make a difference in her monarch's life? 

Did she want him to continue to live a lie, and in turn, allow the entire kingdom to suffer, just because he didn't believe her now?

It wasn't the end of the world. After all, even if he didn't know, there was alway's hope for the future...He could always believe her later.

And not to mention that she had _proof -_ for celestial's sake! God-to-honest proof! 

The Moon Prince's crown, Sebastian's diary, and a Moonstone bracelet (given to Sebastian by said prince as a token of their friendship early on), and of course, the cold, hard _facts._

Even if it meant getting captured later for her crimes, it was _worth_ it. 

_She opened her satchel, and out she took out a jewel-encrusted crown._

_The same crown was worn by Prince Aster himself, all those years ago. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the long wait for this chapter - I was getting really caught up in school, work, and editing the previous chapter, so I hope no one lost too much interest in this fic while I was busy! 
> 
> Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed it!


	9. ideal denials

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bursting with confidence, Sieglinde approaches Aster for the first time, crown in arms and a confession about his past ready to be said.

_"What's that?"_

Aster asked Sieglinde, staring at the silver-based, lapis, diamond and sapphire-encrusted crown in her gentle, yet rough-looking hands. "I mean, of course, I know what it is, I'm not ignorant...It's a crown. But how did you get it? Who's is it? You probably don't own it, so you aren't it's owner...And only those of royalty usually ever wear those, right...? So why do you have it?" 

His eyes widened a few seconds later, suddenly realizing what he just said and blushed madly, apologizing. "I-I'm sorry, if I'm coming off as rude, or something! I'm sorry for accusing you of stealing, I've never even seen you, so I don't know what you're like - for a long time, the only people I've known have been my big brother and my friend, Soma, so I apologize if I ever say anything rude or insensitive...I don't mean it..."

Sieglinde sighed and nodded, setting the crown next to Aster. "It's alright, okay? And just to let you know, Your Majesty, all of your concerns, and everything that you're worried about are completely understandable. After all, again, as you mentioned, not only don't you know anyone besides your psychotic brother and a damn lizard, I'm a stranger - that practically broke into your house, so I'm not mad or anything!" She replied, reassuring the older teen. 

"Are you sure? Because I'm r-"

"Prince, I assure you, I'm completely fine," Sieglinde said to Aster, cutting the boy off as she held her finger to his lips. "Now, enough chit-chat. I didn't just come through your window for no reason!" 

"You were saying something about my big brother, correct...?"

The girl nodded, answering Aster's question. "The whole thing is about your brother...And unfortunately, it's not exactly...The best news, you see?" she confessed, getting the feeling that Aster wouldn't listen to anything she was going to even say. 

"Well...I already had a feeling that what you were going to say about my brother wasn't positive...I mean you called him 'a garbage human being.' Aster replied with a gentle sigh, shyly tucking a strand of a piece of his hair that was in front of his face behind his ear. "If you have something to say that you think I need to know, then say it."

"Are you going to listen...?"

"..."

Sieglinde sat there with Aster for a while, waiting for his reply. It was terrible if she was being honest. Every second she waited for him to finally say something, was another second of horrible anxiety. Was he even going to listen? Was this just a big waste of time? 

The longer she waited, the more and more she honestly considered getting up, snatching the crown that he didn't even know was his right back (he didn't believe her no matter how many times she told him that he was a prince anyways, so what was the point in leaving it with him when she was the one that was going to suffer in the long run?) and leave.

Several minutes later, she decided she couldn't take it anymore and started to get up when she was stopped by another hand grasping hers. 

_"Wait_..."

Sieglinde's eyes widened in surprise, turning around, Aster twirling a strand of his navy bangs around his ring finger in obvious pure nervousness. "I'm sorry...For taking so long to reply to your question. The thing is, I love Ciel more than life itself, and I hate that there's a possibility that there could ever be anything wrong with him...He's my twin and first-ever friend for celestial's sake...He even brings me everything I need to live and everything that makes me happy..." He paused for a moment, noticeable tears welling up in the older teen's eyes. 

"I-I just want him to be the wonderful older brother I always thought he was, that's all..." Aster said, letting out a pained, choked sob, holding himself as he started to cry. "I-I don't want to hate him...I love him so much..."

"Oh, Prince Aster..." Sieglinde mumbled softly, finding herself tearing up as she moved closer to the teen, and hugged him. For what seemed like an eternity, there the two would sit, in each other's arms. She held him as he cried his eyes out, unable for the first time in forever, to keep all his emotions in when being confronted with anything negative about his brother. 

"I'm s-sorry, it just hurts so much to even think about..." He apologized with a soft sob, shakily wiping his tears away as he leaned up against Sieglinde, who held him close. 

"Don't worry, it's alright that you feel this way...You've been only allowed to see just one person for what, a thousand years? So, of course, you trust him!" She said with a soft sigh, looking to the older boy. "He never once let you outside, to be among nature, or to talk to anyone! Haven't you ever thought that it was strange that you weren't allowed to...? Didn't you ever think it was weird that you live in a tower with no way to get down? I'm sure he gave you excuses for everything...And I'm sure their vague."

Aster looked down, fumbling with the hems of his shirt as he listened to Sieglinde's questions, knowing that she was right. It was strange, the way he explained why he couldn't go outside. It was weird, the way he would explain why he couldn't see anyone outside of just his older brother...Why he couldn't get out of his tower...Why his brother kept everything either very brief or a secret. "They are...I suppose..." He bit the inside of his cheek, looking up to her. "And I have, but I try not to think about it too much..."

"Well, at least you know that it is."

He felt Sieglinde sitting up, reaching for something in her satchel, and pulling it out. Looking at the girl, he saw that in her hands was an old journal that looked to be filled with the brim with notes upon notes.

She set down on her lap, opening it to the first page, turning it so she could read it aloud, and so that Aster could read along as well. "Now that we got the conversation going," Sieglinde started, quickly skimming through the page, before looking back up to Aster. "May I begin, or do you need a bit longer?"

He sat there for a while, seemingly lost in thought for what felt like an eternity before looking up and finally giving her a nod.

"No, I'm fine... _Let's begin."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a reason this chapter is short - I plan to get into everything fully next chapter, so stay tuned for that!!!! ;)


	10. aching explanations and sweethearted-giggles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sieglinde finally gets her long-awaited chance to tell Aster everything she knows about Prince Ciel...and surprisingly enough, he isn't angry with her.
> 
> Play time ensues!

"No...Let's begin."

  
"Are you sure, Prince?"

Aster nodded, a soft, barely audible sigh escaping his petal-pink lips. "It's going to be hard, but it's important...I guess..." 

"That's the spirit!" Sieglinde giggled with an understanding smile, soon turning her attention back to the journal and finding the section that she was the most important to start. 

"To make it a bit more easy for you to listen...My friend that you knew before-"

"My friend? What, friend?" Aster asked, raising a navy blue eyebrow, clearly confused as Sieglinde shook her head in a bit of frustration. 

"You don't remember him, but trust me, you have him. His name is Sebastian, and before Prince Ciel got his way, he was your bodyguard and companion! You two did everything together, and you told him everything- which is why you don't remember a thing."

"Why I don't remember a thing? Why's that...? Was it bad that I told him so much? Did I get him in trouble?! Did I get anyone else in trouble?!" The boy asked, his eyes widening in horror, processing the new information. "Oh, dear, that's horrible...I didn't mean to, I promise!"  
  


"I know you don't; You're Majesty...And no, it wasn't. It needs to be said. How he was treating you wasn't good, and you felt scared and uncomfortable! He ordered a plethora of people to stand about whenever you decided to go off somewhere, no matter how near or far it was. He stalked you, judged you harshly for having friends that weren't him, insulted the friends you had, babied you to no end, and made laws that you didn't agree with!"

"He did? That's - why would he do that...? Didn't he ever want me to be happy?" Aster asked, his heart starting to ache as he heard the heartbreaking confession. "I hate it here...I have practically no friends, or at least I THOUGHT I didn't! It's been forever, and I doubt that they even remember me now!" He said, trying his absolute best not to cry. 

"I'm sure he did, Prince...It's just that he's not right in the head, I think. He wants the best for you, but he went about it in the wrong way. - the worst way, to be exact."

"It sure sounds like it! Who would do that to another person, Miss? I love Ciel more than anything, and I trust him with my life. He would never lie to me, he promised! He said everyone before this, had lied to me. They just wanted to use me, he said!" Aster told Sieglinde, feeling more and more conflicted by each passing second. "Is everything from him a lie?"

"I-"

"Did you just come here to tell me he's a liar?! He KNOWS how much I utterly despise any kind of it!"

"Prince, I'm sorry, but I suppose that it's just how he is. Sebastian said he did it because he was scared to death of losing you to one of you're friends." 

"But is that an excuse?!"

"I never said that it was- and that's what I've been trying to tell you! He's nothing more than a selfish prick that needs serious help! Everything he's put you through is horrible-"

"- He's been trying to protect me!"

"Are you _DEFENDING_ HIM?!"  
  
  


Aster sat there, his heart suddenly feeling very numb. He looked to his hands, gently biting the inside of his cheek. He felt the tears coming. Oh god, why on his pale Moon did he have to be this way?

He knew, in the back of his heart, that Sieglinde was right. Ciel had been acting strange - he always had. 

Whenever he asked his big brother anything about their past, and why he couldn't remember, it had always been the same reply.

_'Oh, Aster. It's much too horrible to tell you. It hurt us badly, you know. Tore our family apart. I won't let them hurt us again, and part of that is not letting you remember. If you did, then you'd never be the same.'_

Those words that Ciel always told him rang in his head like a bell. Even so, would he? He didn't think so. They were brothers, and he would never, ever stop loving his big brother! 

So why couldn't Ciel just tell him?

Surely he was grown to know the truth - after all, they were the exact same age!

If Ciel could know, they so could he. There didn't need to be any secrets between them! If big brother Ciel could tell him why, then he was willing to say to him about Soma, and anything else he had been quiet about - he promised!

"I...Well, no. Not exactly, Miss. I'm sorry if I come across strangely. I know you know, and I know I've been saying it quite a bit, but this is all new to me. I never really thought about what he did-"

"To be fair, you didn't even know!"

"Well, that is true, I suppose. And so is everything else you're telling me...Or at least I very so hope! - Right?" Aster asked Sieglinde, raising a navy blue eyebrow, giving the girl a rather inquisitive look. "I don't know if I told you, Miss, but I HATE liars."

"I promise, Prince! I'm telling you the absolute truth! After all, if I didn't, what would it benefit me, coming here? I already have a high-enough warrant out to get me, and me being here with you is just practically making me a sitting duck!"

"A warrant, Miss? Out for you? Oh dear...Whatever did you do to get that?" The teen asked, cocking his head to the side. "You did something bad, didn't you?"

"Well, I did say a _warrant_ was out for me. If I didn't do anything, then why would anyone be after me - let alone, why would I even have one?"

"That's true, I guess. But what exactly did you do, Miss?"

Sieglinde sat up, allowing herself to take a beautiful, long stretch and lifting her arms above her head.

Clenching her fists in knuckles, after setting the journal she had been holding, down.

"Well, can you not rat me out to that scary brother of yours?"

"Why would I ever do that?"

"Because-" Sieglinde started, a slight smirk on his lips as she pointed to the silver crown in his lap. _"- that!"_

"Oh, this? Didn't you say this was mine or something?"

"Yuh-huh! I snuck in the palace myself, and took it! Gosh, your guards are horrible at their job!" The younger girl said with a mischievous giggle, earning a soft smile from the older boy.

"If you really did, then why would you even tell me? You could have easily gotten away with it!" 

"I mean, I could...But after taking the time to talk to Sebastian, I just...Couldn't. It seemed too cruel," she said with a sigh, picking the crown up from Aster's lap, admiring its beauty, before gently placing it on the boy's head. "There! Now you look like a proper prince, Prince Aster!"

The boy blushed slightly, a soft pink dusting his cheeks as he awkwardly tucked a longer strand of his loose hair behind his ear. "I-I do...?" he asked sheepishly, earning a nod from the younger girl.

"Oh, yes, yes! Come to the mirror-" She told him, grinning, as she got up from her cushioned seat and taking his hand, pulling the teen up in the process.

"What are you doing, Miss?"

"Oh silly, just look! You look positively lovely! _\- Sapphire suits you well!"_

Shyly, the older child looked into the nearby, jewel-encrusted mirror that Sieglinde had led him to and looked at himself, his eyes widening upon seeing his reflection. He didn't know why, but for some reason...Wearing this crown, looking at himself in the mirror - everything - _it felt right. _

_Everything about the whole picture in front of him felt right._

_Was this how it was supposed to be?_

Ever since Sieglinde had climbed through his window, she had called him a Prince and gave him a lot of respect, and she didn't even know him...Or perhaps, instead, he didn't know her.

If anything, Miss Sieglinde seemed to know himself better than he did! 

She told him how he was /supposedly/ a prince, told him about his friends, and all about how mean his brother was...In all senses, he felt like she was right.

But even then, he didn't want to believe it - not even for a moment.

Yes, life as a prince sounded interesting. Still, the role of someone that highly in charge seemed terrifying, and reading up on royals, he knew that there HAD to be a ton of stupid rules that went along with the whole thing!

Why give up his freedom when he-

Aster stopped at the thought, shaking his head. _'What am I talking about, with me having freedom? I have some, yes, but not quite. Ciel doesn't allow me to go outside. I can't make friends...I can't do anything! Perhaps I should-"_

"Prince, are you okay...? You've been lost in thought for quite a bit there. Do you not like the crown? You don't have to wear it or anything, I just wanted you to get the message, I never wanted to stress you out-"

The boy shook his head again with a sigh, looking to the younger girl. "No, no. I promise everything's alright. I was just thinking, that's all..about everything." he explained, gently pulling off the crown. "I don't know what to do anymore...Apparently, you think I'm a prince, I've come to the simple realization that I've had practically no freedom for the tome I've been here...And Ciel..." Aster started to tear up.

_"Prince...?"_

"H-He_ lied_ to me...he p-promised that he would n-never do such a thing, but he..." Aster lost his train of thought as tears welled up in his beautiful mismatched eyes, tracing the carefully-placed sapphires, lapis, and diamonds on his crown. 

Sieglinde carefully grabbed the boy's hand, leading him to a nearby couch and helping him sit down, her following soon after. "I know it's hard now, but I promise, It'll get better...I know how you feel-"

The boy snapped his head, looking over to the girl, starting to sob, his heart racing. "- Know how I feel?! How on earth can you possibly know how I'm feeling?! You aren't me! You've never gone through anything close that I-"

"I know I haven't. Everyone's experience with things like this is all _different!_ You can't expect everyone's story to be the same." She turned towards him and gently held his free hand. "I'm not saying that what happened to you didn't matter, because of course, it did! I never once said it didn't matter. We've both been horribly wronged in one way or another.. We've both been used, hurt...We've both been lied to by people that promised they'd never. But as I'm sure you know by now, not everyone is a good person - and I rather think I learned that the hard way!"

She smiled sadly, hugging the older teen. Right as she was just about to pull away (she didn't want to make him uncomfortable), Sieglinde felt a light squeeze.  
  


_He's hugging me._

_Oh my God, Prince Aster is hugging me-_

_QUICK, WHAT DO I DO?!_

_WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN SOMEONE THIS IMPORTANTLY AMAZING- _

_Act calm, calm! Gosh, I need to stop being so freaking weird!_

"Are you doing okay?" Sieglinde asked with a light giggle, looking to Aster as he pulled away, and nodded shyly, clearly embarrassed. "I'm happy, haha~" she grinned before reaching out and carefully wiping his tears away. "Now that we got some of that out of the way, why don't we take a break? We can play a game!"

"A break...? A game....?" Aster asked the now-joyful, brightly-smiling thief, clearly a bit dumbfounded. "You would wanna play with me...?"

"Of course! Why wouldn't I?"

The Moon Prince gave the girl a small shrug. "Ciel said if I ever met anyone, they surely wouldn't want anything to do with someone like me. They'd either hurt me or use me, 'cause I'm special...Or at least Ciel says I am. I don't know what to believe anymore..."He whispered softly, feeling like he was about to cry again, but forced himself not to - after all, he didn't want to ruin anything with her! He had always wanted a chance to play with other children his age, and now he would finally have a chance!

"Well, I'm not denying your special. After all, you do have the essence of the Moon in you, Prince! But the thing about everyone wanting to use or hurt you...I don't care who you are, that just isn't true! Not everyone is a snake!" she told him, giving Aster an encouraging smile. 

"Ciel would beg to differ - he thinks everyone and their dog is out to get me!" Aster told her, looking to her, cracking a tiny smile. "He even told me that something cute like bunnies would hurt me!"

This - NOW THIS - earned Sieglinde a laugh.

She couldn't believe it! 

_'Out of all the fibs, Prince Ciel could have told Prince Aster, she told him this?! I'm sure he can't remember a lot of things, but I'm pretty sure he knows bunnies aren't like that!'_ She thought with a giggle. "Wow, your brother really is reaching with these lies, huh?"

The older teen shrugged, smiling awkwardly. "I guess so, haha~ he tells me lots of strange this that I find myself never quite agreeing with!"

"I mean, with all the shit he's put you through? Not surprised!" Sieglinde grinned, grabbing his crown and putting it back on his head. "There we go!"

"Hey!"

"What, are you mad? This is your crown, smarty-pants! Don't you wanna wear it?"

"Just because it's supposedly mine, doesn't mean I must!"

Sieglinde laughed, giving Aster a quick shrug before getting up. "Wanna play pirates? I haven't had time 'cause I've been stealing your crown, and I was getting chased by ugly old guys with swords!"

"That's _you're_ fault, not mine!"

_"Answer the question!"_

Giggling, the older teen got up from his seat and playfully snatched one of Sieglinde's emerald-green bows, that was on the side of her head, keeping part of her bangs out of the way. "You have to catch me first~," he told her with a soft smirk before bolting down the hall.

"That's not fair!" Called a shocked, yet laughing Sieglinde, a bright smile on her lips as she strained up to her dress, getting ready to chase after him. 

_'This is going to be rather interesting...'_


	11. unrememberance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a few exhilarating rounds of tag and a game or two of dress-up, Sieglinde and Aster get lost in a discussion about their parents...
> 
> and the mysterious disappearance of Vincent and Rachel.

"Ah, yes, Mister! As I was saying to the Dutchess, only yesterday-" Sieglinde started, a smirk growing on her lips as she motioned to Aster, acting like she was about to tell him some big, HUGE secret, pulling the older teen to her by his wrist. 

Aster giggled, a smile forming on his lips as he complied, taking a step forward along with Sieglinde, who was currently tugging him along. "What's that?"

"Oh, you know, silly!" 

The two laughed, taking a seat on the floor near the silken-wooden toybox that held some of Aster's most prized possessions -

toys, a few stray books, a sketchbook, here and there - a little bit of everything!

Aster got atop his knees and opened the lid of the massive wooden thing, and lifted until it was leaning back on its own. 

He dug through the mass of toys, books, and everything in between until he felt something that he knew what it was - the teen grinned and pulled it out - a small, yet elegant music box.

It was in the shape of a crescent moon, in a beautiful, powder blue color with silvery-white trimmings. 

He smiled gently, carefully running his fingers over it.

For as long as Aster could remember, this little music box had always been there for him.

No matter how quiet, unhappy, and painstakingly lonely it became, it had always been there for him, and it's value to him was priceless.

If it was ever lost, nothing could or would ever be able to replace it.

_It was way too special..._

After all, it was the only thing left to him after his and Ciel's Mama and Papa died, and it was the only thing that truly made him feel close to them...

despite him barely even remembering what their love felt like. 

No matter...he didn't care that he didn't.

Well, er...that was a lie.

It _ached,_ not remembering.

He felt sick to his stomach, knowing that he probably would never even come close to understanding. All he had also really wanted, ever since finding it was to remember...but no matter how hard he tried to imagine, he just couldn't.

Why couldn't he?

Was something wrong with him?

Had he done something wrong?

Oh celestial, what did he have to do to remember?!

"Prince...are you ok? You've been sitting there for quite a bit," Sieglinde suddenly said, cocking her head to the side in confusion. "Is...it about your brother, again?"

Aster didn't look up, wordlessly shaking his head as he shoved the music box in his pocket and closed the toy box with a rather startling THUD!

He got up and sat next to his friend before quietly laying his head on her shoulder, earning an arm around his waist, and pulled him close.

The two sat there together for what felt like an eternity, in the same position, in silence. It wasn't uncomfortable like you might expect, but no, it wasn't...It felt like they could just sit there for several more hours without even needing to think that they had to say a word.

"I miss my parents..."

"You're parents...?"

Sieglinde sat there, a bit shocked, to say the least. Prince Aster and Ciel's parents! Prince Aster and Ciel's...parents...

Their parents.

The famous twin prince's parents...

What were their names again?

Oh, how embarrassing! How didn't she remember this?! It was common knowledge, after all. They were told about them in stories told to them at bedtime -they were taught about them in school. Hell, they were even talked about on the streets!

Why couldn't she- Vincent and Rachel.

Oh, yes!

Mister and Miss Vincent and Rachel! 

She remembered them - Mister Vincent, a noble man, with a loving heart, who only longed to have his wife and future child/ren survive their birth, and did almost everything to make sure they did

\- only to find the supposedly thought make-believe Sun and Moon roses - thus, saving not only Miss Rachel's life, but the lives of their children, the Princes, as well.

After a few hundred years together, even now living a life of splendor, they had both raised the twins as they would have if they hadn't also been noticed by the People at all, without the aides of the servants that were now at their every command - until one day...

They suddenly left the palace, leaving the Princes behind for a reason no one knew....to a faraway town, or something of the sort. 

One of the many towns that were suggested they now lived in was MidSeasons, a village beyond the Supernova forest.

They had been named in honor of the Princes' birth several years prior...but that was just rumor and speculation.

After that, they had seemingly dropped off the face of the Earth, with no traces of if they were still there, why they had left in the first place...or died.

"Yes...my Mama and Papa," Aster affirmed, giving her a nod. "When's the last time you've seen yours, Miss?"

"The last time I saw my parents?" Sieglinde said, repeating the question as she thought about it for a second. "Huh. Let's see...well, my father died before I was born, and my mother is a horrible-good-for-nothing selfish scumbag. I ran away when I was six, but I have to come back every now and then because...well, let's just say it's not easy being so little and practically homeless. I've been trying to snag whatever I can and pawn it off, so I can afford a house when I'm older - so I don't have to come back."

"I'm sorry about your father, Miss," Aster said sympathetically, looking over to the younger girl. "Do you ever wish you knew him?"

Sieglinde nodded, a soft sigh appearing on her lips. "Uh-huh. Sometimes I like to imagine what it would be like if my father were still alive. I'd like to think that he'd give my mother a good wallop, and get us both on our way - and hopefully find a better woman!" she said, with a laugh. "Now, enough about me. When's the last time you saw yours? I hope their way better than mine - from the way everyone made it sound, they were wonderful - but they're your parents. If they wanted to sugarcoat them for your sake, I'm sure they would of."

"You know about them?" Aster asked, clearly puzzled by the knowledge. He shook his head, brushing a few stray pieces of his bangs away from his face. "Well, I mean...because I trust you, I guess that makes sense that they would. But to be honest, I'm not really sure if I do..."

Sieglinde stared at him, baffled. "You don't know?"

"Yeah...they've been gone for a long time...I forget how little Ciel and I were when they left, but all I knew is that they possibly went to some town that they named in honor of us...Ciel said its called 'MidSeasons' or something...?"

"Yup! That's the place everyone thinks they went, but no one's truly sure. Do you have any idea why they would just suddenly up and go, without you two?"

Aster sat up a bit, taking a moment to stretch, before gently shaking his head. "Not really...as you know, I don't really remember much of anything, other than...what happened when I first came here. Ciel thinks that they're gone, though..."

"Dead?"

The older teen nodded, a soft, gentle sigh escaping the boy's lips. "Yeah...but at this point, anything's possible. Mama and Papa could be around the corner, for all I know! They could maybe even be looking for me!"

"I hope they are! You deserve someone other than Prince Ciel, or a lizard-"

Sieglinde turned her head, meeting the gaze of a particular lizard before cracking a playful smile. "No offense, of course, ~," she said with a little laugh before giving Soma a light pat on the head. "I think your the best thing that's happened for him, so far - It's just that he's all alone!" she turned to Aster before sighing. "It's not a way to live without people to guide you on what to do and stuff. Whenever I'm away from my mother, I'm not all by myself all the time, believe it or not!"

"Really?"

"Uh-huh! I got Miss Nina down at the seamstress's shop, Sir Bard, who's one of the knights- ironically enough, and Mister Sebastian, you're an old friend who does...a job that I'm not going to explain because it's gross. You, on the other hand? You got what, a narcissistic, lying big brother? A lizard? A few drawings of your folks? Maybe an old keepsake that you got to remember them by? Dust bunnies? Surely you're unhappy...lonely?"

"Yeah...now that you point it out, and not that I haven't thought about it..." Aster flopped on his back, a groan escaping his lips. "Geez...this is the worst. You're going to stick around a little, aren't you, though...? _Maybe...?"_

The younger girl lay down next to Aster, a smile stretching across her lips. She folded her hands and rested them on her stomach. "As long as you don't kick me out, who said I'm going anywhere?"

Aster's eyes widened, and a smile appeared on his face, He shot up like a pole, looking down to Sieglinde, cocking his head. "You mean it, Miss?"

"Mhm-hm! Just promise me you'll warn me whenever that brother of yours comes about - and for the love of celeste, please stop calling me 'Miss'! We've known each other for like two days, and it makes it sound like we're total strangers - I told you that I ate flowers because I thought I could taste the color they were! Surely we're more than perfect strangers by now?"

"Only if you stop calling me _'Prince'_ and _'Your Majesty'_ all the time-"

"Hey! That's different! You're literally a prince; my like, ruler! Why should I?"

"It's either that or I keep calling you _'Miss'_ until you get so annoyed that you leave!"

Sieglinde chuckled and shook her head before softly shrugging. "Fine...so, do we have a deal?"

Aster lay back down and smiled at his friend. "Uh-huh!"

"Good...thanks...Prince."

"It's Aster."

"Oh, potato-pototo_...."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have any questions about the story that you REALLY REALLY want to be answered - whether lore or updating related? Well, feel free to send me an ask on/to my Kuro side blog, and I'd be overjoyed to answer!!!
> 
> LINK: https://sweetfacedspare.tumblr.com/ask 💙💙💙💙💙💙💙


	12. the promise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sieglinde tells Aster about his powers...and gives him a promise.
> 
> In return, Aster gives her the promise of a lifetime.

"That smells amazing! How do you get them to be like that without burning?"

"I watch them, and I don't leave the kitchen for exorbitant amounts of time," Aster explained, a soft smile on his peach-pink lips as he carefully pulled out the fresh batch of freshly-baked lemon cookies from the oven. "And after getting to know you for the past week, I can safely say that you leave wh-"

"Hey! Off-topic!"

"How? You're the one that brought it up! In the first place!"

"And?" Sieglinde asked, trying her best to hide her smile. "Does it really matter?"

Aster gave her a look, before shaking his head and setting the cookies down on the counter. "Touch this before ten minutes is up, and you'll be suffering consequences." 

"That almost sounds like a threat-"

"What, do you want to give yourself burns?" 

She giggled and shook her head, giving the older boy a look. "No! Never on purpose!"

"Then why do you keep burning yourself?"

"Because... okay, so maybe - just maybe, I don't have a lot of patience! Are you really going to bully me for that, Prince?"

"I wasn't, but then you called me 'Prince' again. It's Aster! Remember that, and maybe I'd stop teasing you!"

"But it's so hard to remember!"

"What part of it is? It's just a name! How hard can it be?"

"Hey, don't judge me!" Sieglinde said. "You're literally one half of the Stars Kingdom! Everything you've ever done has been written down, and been taught in school! I can't tell you how many days we've spent covering your duties during the Night, let alone everything else you do!"

Aster stared at her, baffled. "What do you mean, duties during the Night? What could I have possibly been doing?"

  
"Well, for starters, you're a child of the Moon. You have the Moon's blood in you, and it affects you greatly - like, for example...I'm sure you noticed by now, but you stay up all Night with no problem."

"I...suppose so, yes. But what does that have to do with anything?"

"It's hard to explain - but I'll just put it this way: you live in the Night, as I would the Day. During the Day, your fast asleep, and during the Night, you do everything from baking to chores to all the painting you do!"

"I guess so..." Aster nodded, his eyes wide. "Now that I think about it, that is true - I'm never tired during the night, ever -"

"- And that's for a reason! Prince, you're literally, fully nocturnal!" 

"It's Aster-"

"I tell your nocturnal, and that's what you're worried about?"

"I apologize! It's a habit!" Aster explained, with a soft sigh, trying his best to take in the information the best he could without losing his mind. It made so much sense! How had he never considered that before? 

"Well, to be fair, it's not something most people actually think about...unless they're somehow apart of the Moon's Court."

"Excuse me, what?!"

"You heard me! - And don't give me that look! Yes, I may sound like I'm kinda crazy, but it's not my fault I love the history of the Stars so much! When my teacher, back when I went to school, taught us about it, I couldn't stop learning more! It's just so interesting! I can safely say that I read about almost every book and scroll there is about it! - Within limitations, of course...It gets hard to find anything new about it when your on the run all the time...And homeless." Sieglinde explained, awkwardly, a slight, small smile on her lips starting to form as Aster gave her yet another look of mixed wonder and confusion. 

"I..." Aster looked lost. So very, very lost. "The Moon's Court...?" He asked, almost sounding like he was asking the question to himself, rather than Sieglinde herself.

The girl nodded, motioning Aster to follow her to the couch. When the two were finally seated, she started again. "Yes, the Moon's Court. I'm guessing your 'oh so wonderfully great brother' didn't tell you about it, huh?"

The older teen shook his head, a soft pink blush dusting his cheeks as he listened to the girl. "No...not at all...Forgive me for sounding...ignorant, though I guess you're not surprised about that-"

"No, not really. You're brother's horrible."

"Rub it in, why don't you?"

The girl grinned at the teen awkwardly, shrugging her shoulders. "Sorry...I didn't mean for it to come off that way. I'm just saying. I should be more sensitive."

"It's alright, I'm just - well, I don't know. Ever since you came to live here, everything's been so...different! I've been learning more things than I ever have in the years I've been here!" He explained. "Not that it's a bad thing, at all! I like learning, honest! - It's just that...I should_ know_ this stuff, and I _don't!_ All because of Ciel!"

"I'm sorry..." She said to the boy, offering him a hug. He did, and for a few minutes, there, the two sat in each other's arms. "But hey," she said, finally, after several minutes. "At least you have a chance to learn again in great detail! If anyone else came by - not to brag or anything, but I doubt they'd know half as much as I do!" Sieglinde told Aster proudly, crossing her arms with a grin. 

"Well, I guess that is true," Aster nodded softly in agreement. "And I'm thankful. There's no other person I'd rather be taught by," he told her; honestly, a shy smile appearing on his peach-pink lips. "You can continue what you were going to say earlier, by the way...I apologize for interrupting you-"

"No, no! It's totally fine! And sure!" Sieglinde assured the boy, giggling softly as she playfully nudged him to the side.

Sieglinde sat up a bit straighter and took the chance to stretch for a bit, before finally continuing. "But anyways, continuing from last time - They were all gifted with it the second they agreed to join (you were sought out by the existing members, and the Prince of said Court) and made the pact to be with the Court for eternity - something that, no matter what, you could not break. The same went for the Sun's Court, only instead of Night magic, they were blessed with the magic of the Day - you get the idea."

"What...?"

She nodded and continued. "You're talents, whatever they may be, translated into whatever Court you joined, and thus were used entirely as an advantage. For example, say your specialty was archery, and you joined the Sun Court? Your talents would immediately be enhanced, now being blessed by one of each of the Stars - depending on the Court you joined. "

"What's the difference between the two? And 'the Stars'? You're talking about them as if their people!"

"That," Sieglinde said, smirking softly. "Is because they are."

"Excuse me?"

"Uh-huh! That's you and Prince Ciel!"

"What? We're...why are we referred to as 'stars'? Aren't we just the same as everyone else? Just more...I don't know, powerful, maybe? God, that sounds so...uptight..." Aster commented, practically shuddering from his own embarrassment.

"Well, it's because that's what you and Prince Ciel are. Your the 'Child of the Moon,' and Prince Ciel is the 'Child of the Sun'," she explained. When your mother was pregnant with you and him, she was really sick...and to save you, your father went off to go and find the Sun Rose - and ended up finding both roses - the Sun and Moon Roses-"

"Sun and Moon Roses?"

"Uh-huh! Their directly connected to the Sun and the Moon - not to mention one of a kind. They're grown by their magic. Your father found the only ones on earth, and using them...he saved you both - and unintentionally made you two children of the Stars...if that makes sense?"

"I swear to all things that make sense, I've never been so lost in my entire life. The more you explain, the more confused I become!"

"Well, that's to be expected. Everything about the Star's magic is...strange, to say the least...and anyone that has it isn't too normal...Whatever you're affected by, Your talents would immediately be enhanced, now being blessed by one of each of the Stars - depending on the Court you joined. But speaking about the magic of the Night specifically, compared to that of the Sun, it had some of the most...interesting effects on those who possessed it."

"What's the difference between me and anyone in the Court?"

"For starters, you fit in the role as the actual Moon - being the 'child' of one of the Stars, or even one of the other Planets is like that. The power of each Star comes directly from one of you - the power that your Court is from you."

Aster nodded softly and got up from his seat. He placed the throw pillow that he had been previously clutching in his arms back onto the couch he and Sieglinde had been sitting on for the past several minutes, before wordlessly walking back to the kitchen, lost in his thoughts.

"Aster...? Where are you going?" Sieglinde asked the boy, jumping to her feet and trailing right behind the boy, rightfully confused. "Are you okay? Did I say something that upset you?

No answer.

The older teen walked over to the countertop, and daintly felt the cookies. He nodded and grabbed a nearby glass bowl, starting to gently fill the glossy thing with the freshly-baked treats.

"Aster...?"

No answer.

He picked the bowl up, and gently set it atop the nearby kitchen table, before returning back to the stove and starting on making some fresh tea for the two of them, confusing Sieglinde even more than before.

"Are you even listening to me?"

"Huh?"

"Aster, why did you move in the middle of our conversation? Is everything okay with you?"

"I'm just...I'm sorry," The older teen apologized, looking up from the kettle before him. "This is a lot to take in. I never even thought about this kind of stuff before. It's so confusing! I've had all this time to learn, but he's never let me...I feel..."

"How do you feel, Aster?" Sieglinde asked, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Whole, almost...in some parts. But in others, I feel more and more...lost." He explained, checking the water in the kettle before turning to the girl behind him. "Ever since he put me here, I've had nothing but questions about myself that I couldn't even begin to question, let alone understand. Now here I am, finally getting to know - but somehow...it almost feels wrong. Like I shouldn't. Like I'm asking too many questions!"

"Aster...you should be asking. You should know who you are! Nothing your brother did is right - it will never, ever be right! He's mad! A total monster! He wants you ignorant so he can have you all to himself, no questions asked!" Sieglinde told the boy, feeling herself get more and more heated by each passing second. "Ever since he sent your mother and father away, all he's done is control you! Isolate you! Steal from you! - And now that you know what he's done, it's time to stop laying down. It's time to get up and face his stupid little Day. You have every right to know what you are!"

Aster froze, his beautiful, mismatched eyes wide. He rested his hands where his heart was, and nodded, tears pricking the corners of his eyes. "I know...I'm tired of laying down, too. I'm just afraid of what happens when I finally get a chance to see Ciel again and tell him why I'm so unhappy. He's so powerful...I'm sure he knows his magic well - better than I ever could! I'm no match for him!"

"Yes, you are, Aster! You just need to remember - relearn!"

"How will I, Sieglinde? I don't have any books that could help me! I don't know anyone skilled enough to assist me! I don't know ANYTHING!" He screamed, tears rushing down his cheeks like a waterfall. "I'M USELESS! ALL BECAUSE OF HORRIBLE, SELFISH BROTHER WHO I SO FOOLISHLY STILL LOVE!"

"I..." Sieglinde watched the older teen stand there, sobbing hysterically as he wrapped his thin, pale arms around his stomach. She let out a little sigh, not able to take it anymore. She hated when he cried like this - or cried at all, for that matter.

He didn't deserve this.

This didn't even have to happen.

Yet it did...all thanks to him.

She snarled in anger, pulling the Moonchild close and gave him a loving hug. "It's not your fault you don't remember..." she assured him, gently running her hands through his ashy-blue hair. She found herself absently mindedly pulling him closer and giving him a kiss on the top of his head. "I'm here, don't worry. I can help - remember one thing: he may have isolated you from everyone else, but he hasn't from me, or Soma...yet. I know my way around magic - I've read all about it. It's my passion. I may not be able to do it, but I can certainly teach you."

"You can...?" Aster asked in a soft mumble, burying his face in the crook of Sieglinde's neck. 

"Mhm-hm. I'm confident I can. The first step of all of this, though, is finding you again."

"What does that mean?" The older teen asked, his voice laced with uncertainty. 

"We need to find you," Sieglinde repeated. "The real, honest you. The you who remember. If you can't remember, you won't be able to do it...and I know how we could possibly reawaken a few memories - not all of them, obviously. That'll take a while. For now, the ones that will help you with your Night. Your brother doesn't deserve to raise the Moon. That's you, right."

"Raise the Moon...?"

"Yes," She reaffirmed, a soft giggle escaping her lips as he looked up to her, his eyes now filled with a sort of curious wonder. "It's your biggest job as one of the Stars."

"Will you teach me how?"

"I promise. With all my heart, you'll know how. Not today, not tomorrow - these things take time. Someday in the future, though, you'll know."

He pulled away from her and wiped away his tears - Sieglinde herself, assisting in the process with a warm smile on her face.

"You know, Aster, tears don't suit you."

"Then what does?"

"Your lovely smile."

The boy's eyes widened and blushed a light shade of pink. "Maybe..." he nodded, a sort of awkward smile appearing on his lips. "Thank you - it means a lot. These days, I find myself saying that quite a bit, don't I?"

"I suppose so!" Sieglinde said with a giggle, before enveloping the Moon is yet another hug.

"Sieglinde, may I ask you something?"

"Of course!"

"Out of anything in the world, what do you wish for?"

"I - whaaaaat~? Why are you asking?" Sieglinde asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Just tell me - if you could have anything in the world - at all, what would you ask for?"

"What would I ask for...?" Sieglinde asked once again, straightening herself a bit. She was very confused by the question asked by the Moon Prince, but she didn't dare question him. 

She stood there for a while, lost in her thoughts. For the love of the Stars - she was so confused! Why was she thinking so hard about this, as if it mattered? It was probably some random, insignificant question asked, purely out of genuine curiosity. 

If she was answering this thoughtfully through (she didn't know why ), then...she wanted to be in _Aster's Court. _

** _The Moon's Court. _ **

The Star's Courts were like any other. Full of magic, a chance to learn...a chance to perform...a chance to protect...a opportunity to be themselves - herself. The Sun and the Moon Court (s) themselves differed significantly from each other.

The Sun Court was mainly in the Day and focused on Day's magic. Light, heat, happiness...wellness... They were kept on a tight schedule, on a leash of sorts, by Prince Ciel himself. It took place in the Day, and it was much envied by just about anyone!

The Moon Court was in the Night and focused on Night's mafic. Darkness, coolness, wetness, sleepiness, calmness...protection. They were free. Prince Aster, back when the Moon Court was a thing (before Prince Ciel destroyed it - took Prince Aster Away, turned the lead court member, Sebastian, into a centaur, as well as turned several other court members into animals, or threatened them into running away) it, was a place of real, honest, freedom. 

You could be anyone - you could say what you wanted...you could be where you wanted. Anyone that had the great privilege of being offered a spot by Prince Aster had pure and utter acceptance.

It may have been in the dark, in isolation from all the other people in the Kingdom, but it was safe. Happy. Wonderful. Everyone there was more _family_ than they ever were just a Court. 

Not only was there that, but...you also had access to the Night's magic, courtesy of Prince Aster. Compared to the Moon Court, the Sun Court had very, very limited magical abilities due to Prince Ciel's overall distrust of everyone...as well as disdain.

When you were accepted, you became a Brother or Sister of the Night and became one with all things Night. You became like Prince Aster - nocturnal, blue in a lot of your features (hair, eyebrows - eyes, even), your skin became hauntingly beautiful - (it glittered), you were able to breathe underwater. You were able to understand the Moon's magic and read, listen, understand, and speak its beautiful Language. 

Yes, this is what she wanted most of all.

She could finally learn it's magic and be who she always wanted to be - Sieglinde unknowingly smiled, and twisted a strand of her short, soft black hair on her ring finger. "I think I know what I want."

"What's that?"

"It's stupid and childish -"

"We're children, aren't we?"

"Well, yes," Sieglinde agreed, nodding as Aster smiled at her. "I'm sorry for spacing out, I was just thinking."

"Now," Aster nodded as he gently grabbed ahold of her hands and pulled her forward. "What do you wish for?" He asked, resembling his former self more than he'd ever remembered. 

"To be in your Court. Ever since I was a little girl, that's all I ever dreamed about!" She told him with a giggle, grinning as she remembered all the times she excitedly sat in the corner of the Square, listening to the talk about the Courts - once, she had even been so lucky as to meet one of the Members, Finny. When she asked (terrified, I might add), he gladly signed her favorite ribbon!   
  


"Then...I hereby decree - _or whatever a prince says,_ when I remember, I'll gladly take you as apart of my Court. _**I promise.**_" He told his friend, earnestly, earning a pair of wide eyes from a certain Sieglinde. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for such a long wait in-between chapters! I hope you all loved this one as much as I loved writing it!!!!


	13. numbered

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prince Ciel is less than thrilled. 
> 
> It's been one month since he's seen his little brother thanks that little gremlin thief that oh so disgustingly stole his most possession, and now...it's safe to say he's after blood. 
> 
> "Count your days, thief....I shan't stand for this tomfoolery any longer!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OC ref if you squint!

"Have you heard anything, Undertaker?"

"Sadly, Prince, no, I haven't. The Guards have no idea of where they should even start lookin'! The girl just up n' disappeared!" 

Prince Ciel let out a lengthy sigh, tensely grasping his aureate, amethyst-encrusted scepter. "So I heard," he sneered, looking out the vast windows next to his and his brother's thrones, where his radiant sun poured in like pools of pure gold. "How lovely. A pathetic, stupid little girl steals my brother's priceless crown, and the Guards can't find her? Give me one damning reason why I shouldn't just have them all be marched in here, one by one, and beheaded for their failure?"

"My Prince, please calm down. I'm sure they can find the girl. It's just that she may be boarded up in a place we've never expected. You know, there's always that possibility."

"Ugh. I know, I know. There's always a possibility of bloody _something_. God. this is irritating." 

"This is now, but I promise you, I'll make sure that it's found. She's a peasant, anyway. How hard would it be to go around with a wanted poster and ask...? - I mean, of course, that's been done, but what about if money is involved?" Undertaker asked. "Surely if there were a few, precious coins in involved, someone would 'fess up. It's bound ta' happen, I'm sure of it!" 

The Sun Prince's blue and golden eyes widened as he heard his right-hand man's proposition, nodding softly. I mean, that had always been in somewhere, buried deep in the back of his head, but he had never really thought about it clearly before. He sat up straight and placed his scepter before him, upright, as he thought. _'As much I hate throwing money at the hands of grubby, disgusting beggars, it is worth a shot. After all, I am quite good at convincing...even if the reward is nowhere near the amount of what was lost. If I were to offer even just a bag of coins, surely at least a few would fight tooth and nail for it...' _

A frightening grin appeared on his face as another thought popped into his head.

'_You know, I'd be willing to toss in a bit more...if they could ALSO find that girl. Two months is too bloody long. The fact she got away with it this long is unforgivable on my end. If I can't catch a simple, stupid girl, then what kind of monarch am I? Pathetic!'_ Ciel groaned before getting up, off his throne, placing his scepter down and walking down the glossy, granite steps to his fearless second-in-command. "Even then, with the offer of reward, I fear that we'd still be wasting time. Perhaps you and I go, as well? It'd never hurt to look on our own - and I don't doubt that we couldn't find at least something. After all, you are quite a capable fellow, eh?" 

"I am quite pleased that ya think of me that way, my Prince. I try my best. - Oh, and one more thing before we continue this conversation if you don't mind?"

"Hm? Yes, Undertaker? Go on - and walk with me." Ciel agreed, before turning a heel and heading out the throne room, Undertaker trailing behind the boy merely steps away. 

"You recount those two other thieves, Prince? The women? Both had red hair, one had an eyeglass?"

"Uh...yes? Angelina and Grelle, right? What on earth do those irritating rats have to do with anything we were even talking about?"

"Hm-hm. - And actually Prince, they have quite a lot to do with what we're talking about."

The blue-haired boy stopped in his tracks, and his eyes widened in surprise before snapping his head to Undertaker. "Excuse me?! Are you serious? THEM? Why didn't you tell me before?!"

"Every time I tried to bring it up, you were always in the middle of something. Like you know, that princess from a few kingdoms down? You were with her a few days ago to discuss a time you could meet her - discussing peace between the kingdoms and such. Hosting something with them?"

"Princess Ella? Ah yes, from last week. She's going to be arriving next Moon to create an official treaty and maybe have an event. Having them on our side would be immensely beneficial, don't you think? I, for one, think both sides would do wonderfully. - Especially now that her father is gone."

"All thanks ta you, Prince!"

"Indeed. You know, at the time, I felt almost bad for getting rid of him, but it was necessary. He didn't want to work with us? Not even bloody listen? It was a favor to everyone!" Ciel said, making a 'tch' sound as they both continued down the hall together. "Anyway, what about those two red ruffians?"

"They know the thief, Prince."

Ciel visibly trembled (clearly very, VERY irritated) from the news, and grabbed the hem of his sleeve and twisted it, in attempts to keep himself from lashing out in rage. "I...I- e-excuse me, Undertaker...can you ah, r-repeat that...?"

"Uh...They know the thief? They were wiv' her when she stole the crown. Name's Sieglinde Sullivan, apparently. Eleven, I think. Big green eyes, n' black hair. Real short - just like you!"

"And you d-didn't tell me this because I was _'supposedly'_ too b-busy...?" The Sun Prince asked, smiling widely in complete and utter fury, gritting his teeth so hard you could practically hear them grinding together. 

"Yeah! Didn't wanna distract you with the Princess! That would have been a big oopsie daisy if ya were - you've been working with her for a while and I didn't wanna make a mess of things!"

The Prince sucked in his teeth, smiling even harder than before as he processed this information. _"Count your days, thief...I shan't stand for this tomfoolery any longer!"_ he grumbled, sharply trapping ahold of his adviser's coats and yanking him with him, as he stomped down the palace hall, a new energized fury practically bursting throughout his bones.

Sieglinde Sullivan's days were NUMBERED. 


End file.
